All I've Ever Wanted
by Chasyn
Summary: Eragon was his name. And he was turning 18. And everyone who turned 18 was sent away. Warning: Eventual Eragon X Murtagh.
1. Happy Birthday

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing to do with the Eragon world. I won't even claim to own the plot, even though I am the one typing it. The idea of a human Saphira and Thorn was borrowed from Sussiekitten.

**Notes:** My first dip into the Eragon fan-base. Don't shoot me. It's an AU, which means alternate universe. That means no dragons and dragon riders.

**Dedication:** Dedicated to the lovely and wonderful Sussiekitten, the best Eragon fanfictioner. Hope you like it SK.

* * *

**All I've Ever Wanted**

**Chapter 1: Happy Birthday**

It's wasn't time for lights out yet, but the door was shut, the lights off, and the heavy, dark curtains drawn shut to block out the fading sun. The effect shrouded the small room in nearly complete darkness. The alarm clock on the dresser was the only real source of light as it glowed a subtle red. The room's currently only occupant lay sprawled out on the bottom bunk of the beds near the window.

The room was on the small side, but every room was much the same. There was a long dresser that shared the wall with the door out of the room and the one to the small closet. Opposite of the front wall was a pair of bunk beds, set end to end. They stretched nearly the whole length of the wall. The one on the right shared the corner with the single window in the room. That bottom bunk beside the window was the favorite among those who had shared the room in the years before. It was the older boys' room. Once a boy reached the age of sixteen, he was moved into that room on the top floor to stay his last two years. Not many remained to reach this stay and when Eragon was given a bunk nearly two years ago he shared the room with one boy. A few others came and went during his stay but it wasn't until recently that the room became lonelier.

Two months ago, the oldest boy left the day after his eighteenth birthday. Eragon was the oldest boy now. His successor just celebrated his fourteenth birthday, so Eragon knew his last days spent living in the room would be quiet. He wouldn't have to fight for closet space or bathroom time. He didn't have to settle with the top bunk when he preferred the bottom. He was the last boy rooming on the top floor and that made him the boss.

The brunette didn't know how he felt about this fact. On one hand, he had the room to himself. On the other, he was alone at night when he was used to the comforting sounds of the other sleeping boys. He was almost eighteen and soon would get to leave this place forever. But still being there at eighteen when he was dropped off at three meant fifteen years of being passed up for adoption. Fifteen years of not having a family. Fifteen years of being an orphan surrounded by other orphans, living their meager existences.

It wasn't that he wasn't nice, because he was nice and pleasant to all the other kids and most of the time to everyone else. He also wasn't bad to look at. Messy brown hair, dark brown eyes, and a slim build. He was on the short side, but no one was perfect. In fact, many had called the boy down right adorable, much to his disdain.

He had been adopted once, a few weeks after first being brought to the Surda School for Orphaned Children. Eragon didn't remember this, but he was told time and time again that the adoption didn't go over too well and he was returned within a month. He was marked as a trouble maker then. And his constant standoffish and cold nature labeled him as a loner to potential adopters.

What he really wanted was a family. A real family. One that couldn't send you back if you misbehaved.

* * *

There was a knock at the door. The brunette groaned and turned his eyes to the door. The dark didn't bother him much. His eyes got used to the dark rather quickly. "Who goes there?" He called out loudly.

"Princess Seraphina Delepan of Engleton requesting an audience with sir Rider Drake of Varden." There was a pause followed by a soft laugh. "Who do you think?"

Eragon smiled as he recognized the sarcastic tone of his best friend's voice. "Come on in Saph."

"You're not doing anything sticky, right?"

"Saphira! Get in here before someone catches you!" He rolled over and sat up, shaking his head slowly. He could just imagine the lecture he's get from the two counselors who had rooms on the top floor.

The door knob turned and the door opened slowly. A slender, elegant beauty stood in the doorway, squinting in the darkness. "And don't worry." She said with a smile, apparently reading his wandering mind. "All the counts are down stairs. Count meeting. So they won't be bothering the princess and her knight anytime soon."

* * *

Saphira. The love interest of nearly every older boy that had come and gone in the past few years. Saphira, with her high cheek bones, light complexion, radiant ice-blue eyes, and her ash-blonde long, silky hair. When she spoke, people listened to her soft voice. When she laughed, it was musical. Everything about her was captivating.

She was a month Eragon's junior and one of three girls that shared the room down the hall. She was brought to the orphanage when she was six and despite the cooties the little kids seem to have, Saphira and Eragon latched onto each other instantly and became fast friends.

She had been fostered out a few times, but everyone wanted to drag her away from Surda. New schools, new towns, new friends. Saphira fought them all the way and if they wouldn't send her back, she'd run away. She wanted to stay right where she was.

Some thought her crazy, the rest thought her in love with Eragon. Both were as far from the truth as they were close.

"Just wait until we're eighteen Eragon." She had said many times. "We'll leave here together. We'll find jobs and an apartment. And go to school. We'll meet people and get married and have kids. And our kids will grow up together as best friends like us. And go to the same school. And never have the worry of being rejected. We'll have families Eragon! You'll see. Everything will be perfect."

As for the "counts" she spoke of, that was the term she and Eragon had adapted for the counselors. When Eragon was younger and he first met Saphira, he had a slight lisp. He couldn't quite say counselors. Instead, he would call them counters. Saphira soon adopted the term and even when Eragon lost his boyish lisp, the nickname stuck. Old habits were hard to break.

* * *

She smiled before closing the door softly behind her. With a laugh, she ran towards Eragon and jumped up beside him on the bed inviting creaks and making the frame sway. "Where were you today? I feel like I've hardly seen you at all!"

Eragon shrugged and moved backwards on the bed to lean against the wall. "Hung out in here mostly." He replied almost sourly.

"Doing what?" Saphira moved back to lean beside him, her eyes slowly becoming adjusted to the lack of light.

"Reading, drawing…" He mused. "Daydreaming mostly."

"Daydreaming?" Saphira repeated in a suddenly dreamy voice. "About who? Anyone I know? The new girl, perhaps?" She elbowed him softly and giggled.

"New girl?"

"Arya."

Eragon laughed loudly as he throught about the energetic, black haired girl. "Arya? New?"

Saphira smiled. "Well… newer." She stuck her tongue out. "A couple months is still new. And she's nice. And pretty enough."

He laughed and bumped against her shoulder. "Sounds like you like her."

Saphira's mouth dropped open and she slapped his arm. "I do not!" She said grumpily. "And if not Arya, then who?"

"No one, Saph."

"Then about what?" She persisted, turning her penetrating gaze on him.

Eragon sighed softly and pulled his knees to his chest. "I turn eighteen tomorrow, in case you have forgotten."

Saphira laughed and pushed against his shoulder. "No, you dunce. I haven't forgotten. But why are you worried about it?"

"Who said I was worried?" He snapped rather defensively.

"Call it women's intuition." She said sarcastically. "Or I just know you better than you know yourself." She leaned over him and pulled the curtains open. The room was flooded with the soft moonlight.

"Sorry." He muttered softly, by way of apologizing. He took a deep, slow breath before continuing. "Tomorrow's my birthday, right? My eighteenth. That means I'm leaving." He said sulkily. "And they've gone and sold me to a work farm."

"Sold?" She eyed him with a smirk. "That's a bit drastic, don't you think?"

Eragon shrugged. "Might have well had."

"Eragon! You get to leave here! And you'll get to go to college and have a place to stay." Her eyes were wide when she said this.

"And all I have to do is work their farm for four years. I'll be a glorified slave, Saph."

"Think of it as chores, Ere. We have them here. And normal kids out there do too." Saphira laughed. "It could be worse Eragon. College is expensive if you have to pay for it yourself. Free board and school…"

"It's the same here!" He interrupted.

She sighed slightly. "What's really wrong, Eragon? You wanted to go to the work farm. Last week you were hyped about leaving this place behind forever. What was it you said? 'Leave and never look back.' What happened?"

Eragon hugged his knees to his chest tightly and dipped his chin. "I was." He admitted softly. "Until it hit me."

"What hit you?" She asked softly, scooting closer.

"Saph… don't you get it? This is it! The end. We aren't little kids anymore. Tomorrow I am an adult. And I will be on my own. My whole life, I wanted to be an adult, right? Like that would solve everything. But it solves nothing. It only makes matters worse. Saph, I'll be all alone! I'll have no one!" He blurted out.

"What about me?" There was a hurt tone to her voice.

"In a month you'll be leaving too."

Saphira screwed her nose up in distaste. "That whole thing's a joke."

"A joke? You'll have a family Saph."

She laughed softly and shook her head. "It's not really an adoption Eragon. They are a childless family with money to spare. They are just looking to boost their image and karma. They want the smug satisfaction of knowing they helped a poor orphaned girl get a step up in life." She yawned widely and shook her head again. "Why else would they want to adopt a kid so old? You and I both know only the younger, cuter ones get a chance." She winked.

Eragon smiled warmly and drew an arm around his friend. "What am I going to do without you?"

Saphira smiled as she leaned against him. "There's this new invention, maybe you've heard of it. It's called a telephone." There was a sarcastic tone to her voice. "And we could always write to each other. We'd make the best pen pals." She yawned again.

"But you won't be down the hall anymore."

"Good thing too, with as much trouble as our little sleepovers seem to get us into." She laughed and when he didn't join her, she sighed. "You make it sound like we'll never see each other again. Once we're through with college, we can get our own place. Remember the plan?"

"But… I always thought we'd be leaving together."

"Well… things don't always go exactly as planned." She laughed softly. "Besides, the plan did have its flaws, like the fact that you're older than me. So we could never have left at the same time." She yawned again for the third time. "Oh!" She shifted slightly and dug around in her pocket. "I almost forgot." She pulled out something long and dangled it in front of the brunette. "Happy birthday Eragon."

"Oh wow!" He breathed out, looking at the necklace. Three strands of string weaved together in a tight braid and tied at the top created the chain. But what caught Eragon's attention was the clay dragon pendant. The neck was long and curved over, as if watching all those around her. The wings were extended upwards, half spread, and the tail curled around a small blue-green stone. The dim light of the moon made it glow.

"That rock I found in the woods out back. Rather pretty, I thought. It's not much, I know. But it took be forever to make."

Eragon sucked in a sharp breath as he took the necklace in his palm and fingered the tiny mother dragon. "It's perfect Saph. I love it." He slipped it over his head with his free hand and squeezed her shoulder with the other.

Saphira yawned yet again after a few silent minuets. "I should be getting back to my room now." She said sleepily and made to get up.

"No! Don't go yet!" Eragon said, this time it was his turn to yawn.

It wasn't five minuets later before the two had fallen asleep.

* * *

The next day went by rather loudly and rowdily for the brunette. It all started when he was wrenched out of his bed at dawn and had been vigorously shaken awake.

"What the hell do you think you two are doing?"

Eragon blinked the sleep from his eyes and focused on the face of Brom, one of the male counselors. He glanced over to see Saphira being pulled off the bed as well by Angela, one of the female counselors. Eragon shook his head and wrenched his arm out of Brom's grip. "We were just sleeping. Nothing happened." He practically sneered at the older man.

"You know the rules." Brom said sternly. "No girls allowed in the boys' room." He lifted a finger and pointed it at Eragon. "Tomorrow isn't soon enough. I'll be glad to be rid of you." He mumbled this last part.

"But we didn't do anything. We just fell asleep!" Saphira pleaded as she was ushered out the door.

"Thanks for the present Saphira!" Eragon called after her.

"That's real subtle Eragon." Brom glared at him and moved towards the door.

"Saphira is my best friend."

Brom turned around at the door and cleared his throat for emphasis. "You are to remain in this room until I return. You are not to see Saphira for the remainder of the day."

"That's not fair!" Eragon protested loudly.

"You know the rules Eragon. And you neglect to follow them. Need I remind you this is the third time this week we've caught you two together, alone in this room?"

Eragon bit back his retort. Anything he said would only get him in further trouble. Besides, he cold always just slip away later and find Saphira.

Brom hovered in the doorway. "One more day. Just one more day and your ass is gone." With a glare on his face, he slammed the door behind him.

True to his word, Brom made sure Eragon stayed far away from Saphira.

A small party was thrown for Eragon in the cafeteria. He had hoped Saphira would show up before it was over, but he was disappointed when Brom smugly told him that Angela had taken her out. Eragon had asked to where, but he wasn't given an answer.

The rest of his afternoon was spent mostly in his room. He wasn't packing exactly. He didn't have many physical possessions. Everything he owned fit nicely in a tattered backpack.

What he was really doing was packing away the life he had led thus far. All the pain and loneliness. All the trouble he'd caused and the fun he had. The friend he'd made and the ones he'd lost.

"Fuck!" He had breathed out, laying on top of his made bed and looking about the empty room. Saphira still was no where to be seen. He had even snuck off to her room but Arya, a feisty seventeen year old redhead had turned him away.

"Sorry Eragon. I haven't seen her since early this morning." She gave him a squeeze. "It's not fair!" She whispered in his ear before backing up. "We all shouldn't be punished because of what happened last year. One girl ends up pregnant and that means now we're all going to get pregnant. Because boys and girls just can't possibly be friends."

They had laughed it off and chatted for a bit before Eragon snuck back to his room.

And when the tears came to Eragon's dark eyes, he didn't wipe them away. He sighed deeply and fingered the dragon necklace. Saphira's words echoed in his head over and over again.

"Once we're through with college, we can get our own place."

"Four more years." He whispered as sleep touched his mind. "Four more years."

* * *

**Author's Notes:** End of chapter one. Leave a message after the beep. Taggy will appear in the next chapter, I promise. And Arya. And Brom has a reason for being a jerk. Swear.Hhhhhh


	2. Happy Start

So… I first posted this chapter on 6/20/08. And it was late at night and I had spent most of the day typing it up. And I was house/dog/bunny sitting all week and being lazy. And drained from a giant massage exam I took at the state medical board on the 17th… so yeah… I want to thank Veritas4Eternity who commented that the chapter wasn't up to my usual standards. Mistakes were mentioned and man! XD I felt like a complete idiot when I got home and ran back through this. There were mistakes all over the place and I completely forgot to add 2 scenes in that I had scribbled in a notebook a few days ago. So… the chapter was updated on 6/25/08. Many thanks!

Same Disclaimer, Dedication, Notes, and whatever from the first chapter. Click back and reread them if you forget whatever it was that I typed. And Justin and Susie are my own characters. Neither have big parts, of course, but yeah. Mine! So… without further ado, bring on Murtagh!

* * *

**All I've Ever Wanted**

**Chapter 2: Happy Start**

The room was much larger than the one at Surda, which he had called home for so long. The Surda room could have easily fit in this one at least three times. It seemed much friendlier and welcoming, despite the colors. It felt lived in and owned. The room at Surda felt empty and sterile most of the time, even when all the beds were full.

Eragon felt both at home and out of place as he glanced around. The walls were painted a soft gray color and bordered in black. The closet, doors, and window frames were also painted black. The ceiling was a dull gray-white and the carpet was even black. Clearly the room's inhabitant was a fan of black. A very big fan. The walls were littered with posters of musicians and bands. Kamelot, Leaves' Eyes, Nightwish, Conception, Dragonforce, As the Body Count Rises, and a few others Eragon didn't recognize.

The wall to the right of the door was lined with a dresser, desk, and a bookshelf, all painted in black. In the center of the long wall, two large beds sat a few feet apart with a small table in-between and two more on the sides. The bed on the right was covered with a black blanket while the one on the left was covered with a light blue blanket. The right wall was lined with a dresser, desk, and bookshelf, much like the other side, except these were a light brown color. They seemed almost out of place in the room of black and gray. Just like him.

As Eragon studied these out-of-place objects, he remembered the conversation at the airport earlier.

* * *

"Are you Eragon?"

The brunette in question had spent nearly an hour at the Surda airport. His flight was delayed due to reasons that the airport employees wouldn't tell him. Being as it was his first time on an airplane and first time leaving the state, he was placed in the Child Watch program. It was a program at the airlines that allowed younger kids to be watched. An airport employee would escort the child to and from the plane. The stewardess would frequently check on them, keeping a close eye. Most of the children put into the program were under the age of ten, going to visit family members. Eragon felt completely foolish and out of place as he looked around at all the kids sitting around him.

One particular child kept leaning back in his seat and badgering Eragon with stupid questions. Do you work here? Why are you so tall? How old are you? Do you know when we'll land? Can I have a cookie?

The brunette was thrilled when the short plane ride was over and he was able to get up. But as soon as he stood up, he ushered back into his seat. "Please stay seated." He was told, along with all the other kids. "Once the other passengers have been let off, you all will be escorted out and we will locate your family or whoever you are meeting."

The kid sitting beside Eragon leaned over and poked at him. "What did she say?"

"We wait here." He said softly, leaning back and wishing he could follow the other passengers out. He felt completely stupid being trapped with the kids. "Then she'll come back and take us to where we need to go."

Eragon shook his head slowly as he turned from the terminal and looked for the course of his name. "Yes, sir." He said, nodding his head at the two men approaching.

"Wonderful! I'm Garrow and this is my oldest son, Roran."

Eragon looked the two up and down as they moved closer and made their introductions. Both father and son looked exactly alike. They had the same dark green eyes. The same shaggy, golden brown hair. Both were taller than Eragon but Roran a bit more so than his father. What Eragon liked most about them was how happy they looked and seemed, standing side by side.

"My wife passed on a few years back." Garrow said, reaching down to grab Eragon's backpack off the ground. He tossed it to Roran and wrapped an arm around Eragon's shoulders. "She loved kids. We both did… uh… do…" He smiled and laughed, turning to lead Eragon through the crowds. "Anyways, every few years, we'd take in a couple kids, give them a home, help them get through college and make something of themselves. That was my wife's dream. To give kids without a home, a home and foundation." He laughed heartedly. "It's been probably five years since we last had another in the house."

Roran laughed. "And she never left."

"Well… usually the kids we take in leave after a year or two, not become a permanent member of the family."

Roran laughed and leaned over, closer to Eragon. "Katrina. Her parents died when she was younger. And she was living with her aunt, who sort of had to be committed."

"Poor woman thought she was being haunted by flying fruit."

Roran nodded. "So Katrina ended up with us."

"And ended up engaged to Roran here." Garrow added, throwing his free arm around Roran and hugging both of them close.

Roran smiled and shrugged his father off. "Hey, it was love at first sight."

Garrow rolled his eyes. "Anyways, Eragon, we are thrilled to have you with us."

Eragon smiled as he listened to the comfortable family banter.

"Now… I apologize but you'll have to share a room with my younger son." Garrow said with a hint of regret. "The house is pretty old. Build over a hundred years ago. But see… before we bought it, the previous owners decided to extend it, build onto it and remodel. So it had the old wing and the new wing. Easier to call them East and West."

Roran rolled his eyes as he heard his dad start to rambled. "Dad…"

"Anyways…" Garrow continued. "The wiring in the newer West wing wasn't the best. Last month we had a fire in poor Katrina's room. So we moved Katrina and Roran to the East wing with me and my other son. Decided to just re-remodel the entire West wing the right way. Can't have bad wiring sparking more fires. But that left us with a problem. There are only four bedrooms in the East wing. Was going to have the boys share a room but…"

Roran groaned as they reached the car. "Ain't no way I'm sharing a room, unless it's with Kat."

"Yeah, no way that's going to happen until the wedding." Garrow popped the trunk open long enough for Roran to toss Eragon's bag in.

Eragon smiled as he watched the two get into the car. He hesitated a moment before following suit.

Roran groaned again as he slammed the door. "Like a wall is going to stop us dad."

Garrow started the engine of the car. "I don't care. And not another word about it."

Roran grumbled and slumped down in his seat.

"I swear… you act like your two most of the time. Act your age. And you could always move out." When he got no more sass from his son, Garrow smiled and continued. "So anyways, Eragon, my younger son's room, his is actually the biggest in the wing. Used to be two rooms actually. Last summer, before we knew about the wiring of course, he comes up to me and asks if he can knock out the wall and make his room bigger. Said he'd do all the work himself and pay for it. He was pretty excited about it too. He's a bit of a musician and a music buff. And with his equipment and the shit that keeps appearing, that room kept getting smaller and smaller."

"Dad…"

"And the room he wanted to take up hadn't been used in years anyways. Hell… there were only four of us living there at the time and five bedrooms in each of the wings… not to mention the downstairs library and weight room, and my office. So… what was one room?"

"Dad…" Roran said again. "Get to the point!"

"Roran, stop being rude." Garrow snapped. "I'm just explaining the situation to him and giving him a verbal tour of the house."

Roran groaned. "But dad…"

"Anyways…" Garrow continued. "Asked him what he thought about sharing his room, at least until we get the West wing finished. Agreed to move my office upstairs into my room and let him use it to store all his shit that takes up too much room."

Roran gave up, turned his iPod on, and drowned out his dad's rambling voice.

"He said he wouldn't mind. So we spent the last week straight moving everything around and getting things set up."

Eragon smiled slowly. "I don't want to put anyone out."

"Oh heavens no!" Garrow said and laughed. "From this moment on, you are a member of our family! And I expect you to act like one."

* * *

Eragon dropped his backpack on the blue blanketed bed and sat down beside it. Sighing softly, he leaned back on the pillows and closed his eyes. Images of Saphira floated through his head and he wished he could talk to her, and tell her about the 'outside world.' So far, things weren't as bad as he feared.

He opened his eyes and yawned loudly as there was a knock at the door. "Who goes there?" He said without thinking. That had always been his automatic answer when anyone came knocking back at Surda.

"The person whose room you are sitting in." Came the answered, slightly muffled by the door.

Eragon's eyes widened and he jumped up as the door slowly swung opened. "I'm sorry!"

"Don't be sorry. I guess for now, it's your room too."

Eragon looked up at the dark haired male who entered the room and crossed over to the closet. He was taller than Eragon by at least four inches. He also looked to be a few years older. He was dressed in a skin tight black shirt and slightly baggy black jeans. His black hair hung just above his shoulders and had a slight wave to it. "You really do like black." He commented before realizing it.

The other male turned to look at him a moment before shrugging. "Decorated the room myself, if you were wondering. And I get dressed all by myself."

"That's good…" It slipped out and Eragon shook his head. He probably sounded like a complete idiot.

"Only one closet…" His voice was deep and had an almost musical tone to it. "But it's rather large. I cleared out some space, if you need it. And the dresser over there is all yours."

Eragon smiled awkwardly and shrugged. "I don't have that much stuff anyways."

He laughed and shook his head. "That won't last long."

Eragon tilted his head to the side. "What does that mean?"

"College classes start in a couple of weeks. I assume you'll be going. You'll need books and supplies. And dad won't go shopping without at least stopping by three clothing stores. Likes to shop. So don't fret. By next week, you'll need the closet space and more."

"Oh…" The brunette shifted his weight in silence, his eyes on the floor under him. He had never really owned anything new. The idea of someone shopping for him with him seemed weird.

"Look at my manners."

"Hmm?" Eragon mused as he looked up to see the dark eyed man walking towards him.

"The name's Murtagh." He said, holding out his hand.

"Eragon…" He answered meekly and shook the offered hand.

"Now… for the rules…"

"Rules?" Eragon looked a bit surprised as he watched Murtagh walk around the room.

He laughed. "Just a few. I don't mind sharing my room and all, but I do need my space."

Eragon nodded. "Of course."

"So…" He started, waving his arms around. "Basically, this is my side of the room. My dresser, my desk, my nightstand, my half of the closet. Don't go through my stuff and I'll do the same. If you want to borrow something, just ask. I won't bite… usually." He gave Eragon a wink and continued. "The bathroom is over there." Murtagh pointed towards the door beside the light brown dresser. "The hamper in there is for using. You won't find any maids here to clean up after you, so you best be doing it yourself."

Eragon stuck his tongue out at him. "I'm not a slob."

Murtagh laughed. "Just saying. As for people… I don't mind friends coming over and hanging out. But as for girls… or guys for that matter… whatever you're into…"

Eragon's eyes widened slightly at the implication.

"I never bring dates in here when I'm by myself. Makes dad nervous. He won't even let Roran and Katrina in the same room alone and they are engaged."

Eragon laughed slightly at that and smiled. "Is that is?"

Murtagh nodded. "Yep. Got it all?"

Eragon nodded slowly. "I think so."

"Sure?"

"Positive."

* * *

Eragon rolled over in his bed and pulled his blanket up to his chin. He knew he should get up. He should get up, jump in the shower, and get dressed. His first class of the day started in a half hour and he knew skipping classes was bad. But he couldn't bring himself to get up. He had woken up a few hours earlier and caught a look at the calendar.

"Skipping class?"

Eragon rolled over, turning his back to the dark man framing the doorway. "Go away." He muttered, feeling close to tears.

Murtagh frowned and leaned against the doorframe. "This is my fucking room too. Can't kick me out when you feel like being a little pussy ass."

Eragon threw his blanket over his head and didn't answer.

The dark haired man sighed and pushed off the door. "Dude… what's wrong?" He crossed the room and sat on his own bed.

Eragon shifted under his blanket but said nothing.

"You disappeared yesterday afternoon, went to bed at like eight, and now you're skipping classes." He reached over when he still didn't get an answer and pulled the blanket back, uncovering the brunette underneath. "What's wrong Eragon?"

Eragon blinked back the tears and sat up. His eyes on the bedspread, he sighed softly. "Today's my best friend's birthday. But I haven't seen or heard from her since I left the school. I called a few times and sent her a letter weeks ago, but I have a feeling she knows of neither." He said softly and peered at Murtagh from under his bangs.

The older boy nodded slowly to encourage the brunette on.

Eragon searched the dark eyes, looking for hints of mockery. When he found none, he continued. "Saph… she and I tended to get in trouble a lot." He answered slowly. "A lot. I'm guessing no one's told her I've been trying to get a hold of her."

"And you miss her?"

Eragon shot him a glare. "She's my friend, alright? Best friend. Nothing more."

Murtagh smirked and held up his arms in defense. "I wasn't insinuating anything, I swear."

Eragon visibly relaxed and sighed softly. "Sorry." He muttered and hugged his knees to his chest. "We were together since we were six. It's just that feels wrong not seeing her today."

"Do you know where she is?"

Eragon shrugged. "Back at Surda until sometime tomorrow. Then she gets picked up by her adopted family."

"Well then…" Murtagh started, getting to his feet. "We should get going now if we want to get back before the family."

Eragon watched him cross the room, confusion written on his face. "What?"

"We'll go visit your friend. Come on. I'll drive."

"For real?" Eragon asked slowly.

Murtagh nodded. "What's missing a class here and there?"

Eragon literally jumped up and sprang at Murtagh.

The brunette's hug caught him off guard and Murtagh nearly lost his balance.

"Thank you!" Eragon breathed against the older's chest.

"Yeah, no problem." He smiled. "But if we don't leave now…"

Eragon released his grip and blushed slightly. "Sorry!" He all but skipped behind Murtagh as the older led him to his car.

The drive was long but not quiet. For some reason, Eragon's tongue loosened. He hadn't said more than a hand full of words to the man he shared his room with but there was no shutting him up. He told Murtagh all about Surda and the counselors. He told him all about the trouble he and Saphira caused.

"They all overreacted every time!" Eragon assured him quickly. "I mean… come on! Saph and I had always acted like brother and sister. And she had a crush on this redhead boy a while back. Thorn, I think. Mother died right after he was born and his dad was sent to prison, I think. He came to Surda while his family members fought over who got stuck with him. He ended up staying like six months or something. Saph was heart broken when he left." He paused for a moment and shook his head. "Some kind of messed up family. If I had…"

"Uh… Eragon…"

Eragon looked over at Murtagh, as if realizing then just how much he had talked. He blushed slightly and turned away. "Sorry. I didn't mean to ramble on and bore you."

Murtagh laughed. "Oh no. You didn't. I haven't heard you talk like this." He smiled. "Kind of nice. Like you were happy."

Eragon's blush only deepened and he nodded. "I think I might be."

"Well… I hope on the way home we can continue the chat." He winked. "As for now, we're here."

"Here?" Eragon looked out the window and saw for the first time they were sitting in the parking lot at the school. "Wow. I really must have talked your ear of."

"Don't worry about it." Murtagh said, opening the car door and getting out. "I have a spare."

Eragon smiled sheepishly as he opened the door and slammed it behind him.

Murtagh walked around the car and moved to stand beside the brunette. With a smirk, he leaned against the car and offered a yawn.

Eragon has been excited about coming up. He wanted to see Saphira so badly. But now that he was there, standing in the parking lot, his body felt like lead and his feet were glued to the pavement. He sucked in a sharp breath as his eyes found the window of his previous room.

"Something wrong?"

Eragon practically jumped when he felt the hand on his shoulder.

Murtagh laughed. "Didn't mean to startle you."

"Sorry. I spaced out." Eragon shoved his hands in his pocked. He kicked at a rock on the ground and leaned against the car beside Murtagh. "Just feels strange, being here."

Murtagh bumped up against Eragon's shoulder. "Well… we could turn around and go back. But it would be a terrible waste of a hooky day. Not to mention the gas."

Eragon shook his head slowly as he felt his cheeks redden. What was wrong with him today? "I'm sorry. I really appreciate this."

The darker haired of the two laughed softly and shook his head. "You don't have to keep apologizing."

Without thinking about it, Eragon muttered. "Sorry."

Murtagh started laughing and Eragon soon joined him. Eragon felt a bit more relaxed and less out of place. Finally, he smiled at Murtagh and nodded towards the school."

"Ready now?"

Eragon nodded.

"Want me to stay here?" He asked slowly.

There was a strange edge in Murtagh's voice and the brunette felt like he should say yes. But if he was being truthful to himself, Eragon really wanted the older male there, really badly. The sense of longing scared him a bit and he shifted his weight back and forth, nibbling on his lip.

"Do you want me to go in with you, Ere?" Murtagh asked with a smug smirk.

""Well… if you want to…" Eragon started, and then lowered his head slowly. "Yes, I do. I don't want to go in alone."

Murtagh laughed and clapped the brunette hard on the back. "All you have to do sweetheart is ask."

Eragon peered at him a moment before smiling and nodding. "Okay. Follow me."

Murtagh nodded and glanced around as he pushed off from the car. "It's been a long time…" He whispered softly after Eragon was out of earshot. He shook his head to clear his thoughts and hurried to catch up with the brunette.

Eragon didn't slow until he reached the front door. He moved with a hesitant determination, as if at any moment he might loose his nerve. Swallowing the lump in his throat, he hit the doorbell.

A few moments later, the large door opened and out swept someone Eragon knew quite well.

"Angela!"

The female counselor peered at him a moment before smiling broadly. "Well I'll be… Eragon! Didn't think we'd ever see you here again!"

The brunette smiled and gave her a quick hug.

Beaming, the counselor ushered them in and closed the door behind them. She swung around and clapped her hands together, a wide smile on her face.

Eragon moved to stand closer to Murtagh and he cast a few worried glances around.

Angela laughed as she caught his looks. "He's not here anymore, Eragon."

Cocking his head to the side, Eragon turned his gaze to her. "He's not?"

Angela shook her head. "Brom retired a few weeks back."

"Retired?" Eragon repeated as his eyes widened.

"Apparently, his father took ill about a year ago and he finally lost the battle. Nothing else was keeping Brom here, so he left." There was a sad tone in her voice. "He told no one. If he had, we could have sympathized or allowed him time off or something. "

Eragon nodded slowly. "It would explain a lot. Brom was never the most fun but he used to be almost fatherly."

Angela nodded slowly and after a few silent moments, she turned her attention to Murtagh. "Now, who are you? Are you from around here?"

Murtagh, silent thus far, shook his head. "No ma'am."

"He's one of the sons of the family I'm staying with." Eragon said quickly.

Angela nodded again and then shook her head. "Here I am blabbing away. I know you didn't come all this way to see me."

With a smile, Eragon shook his head. "Not exactly."

"Well… I know right where she is. I'll fetch her."

Eragon watched her turn and hurry off. He stole a quick glance and Murtagh and fought back the urge to blush when he was caught staring.

"What? Nervous?"

Before Eragon could stutter an answer, a black haired girl that Eragon barely knew came running towards him and leapt at him. Her weight and force threw him off balance and Eragon braced himself to fall. Instead, he was pulled up and kept from falling.

"Sorry E!" Arya detached herself, laughing loudly. "Good thing you brought along your cute bodyguard."

Eragon blushed slightly as he realized just who had caught him and that those hands were still firmly on his shoulders. "Yeah."

With a smile, Murtagh let Eragon go. "I'm Murtagh, Eragon's sort of… adopted brother."

"Oh… well…" Arya smiled and winked. "Maybe when I turn 18, I'll get sent to work for your family too."

Eragon watched the shameless display of flirting between the two and felt a twinge of jealousy when Murtagh smiled back at her. Clearly just humoring her, Eragon thought. He bit his lip nervously when he realized that he shouldn't care. To his knowledge, Murtagh didn't have a girlfriend. And it was none of his business anyways. He shook the thoughts from his mind and looked to Arya.

"So…" Arya started, turning her attention from Murtagh back to Eragon. "Angela said you wanted me?"

"She did?" He shook his head slowly. "It's nice seeing you again, but we came for Saph."

"Saphira?" Arya repeated in a confused tone. "She's not here, E."

"She's not?" Eragon shook his head sadly. "What, they have her out helping with errands on her birthday?"

Arya shook her head again. "No. I mean she's not here anymore. She was picked up a few weeks ago, Eragon."

"Picked up?" He repeated. "She's gone? Where?"

Arya glanced around as a few kids began to file into the main room. She saw a few noticing Eragon and heading over their way. "Come on. It's too loud in here. My roommate at the moment is at the hospital today. She has strep throat for the fourth time this year." She reached out and grabbed Eragon's hand. "Come on." She insisted.

Murtagh hung back a moment before Eragon's hand latched onto his and he was pulled after them towards the stairs.

"Arya!"

The black-haired girl paused as she heard Angela's voice. "We're just going up stairs, Angela. To talk for a bit." She smiled sweetly.

"Arya, you know the rules."

She nodded and pointed to the two boys behind her. "And they don't apply to kids who aren't living here."

Angela seemed to consider that fact for a moment. At last, she shook her head slowly. "You have 5 minutes."

"10?" Arya haggled.

"Fine. 10 minutes and I'm coming up there. And that door better be kept open."

"Yes Angela!" Arya called, ushering the three of them up the stairs.

Once they were in the room and the boys seated on one of the lower bunk beds, Arya closed the door, making sure to leave is just barely cracked open. "There. It's open." She laughed and plopped down on the bed opposite them.

Eragon leaned back against the wall, getting comfortable. "Now… about Saph…"

"Oh yeah!" Arya shifted slightly and crossed her legs. "Okay… so…" She started awkwardly. "Like three weeks ago, the counselors took everyone out to this fund raiser thing, right? 'Cept I came down with a fever and Saphira stayed to keep me company and one of the counselors stayed to keep an eye on us." She shook her head slowly. "Why they chose her, I'll never know. But all of a sudden, that rich, married couple who wanted to adopt Saphira when she turned 18 showed up. Said they were going on this vacation and wanted to take Saphira with them. Show her the world or some jazz. And since the paperwork was already filed and everything signed, the counselor, new by the way, which is why I don't know why they left her alone! Her name's Susie. She's really nice and sort of young. But a bit on the naïve side. She's also very rule oriented and knows the book by heart. So… anyways… as Susie saw it, Saphira legally belonged to them, right? So she saw no problem with letting her go. And Saphira was like, 'I haven't packed!' And they were like, 'That's okay. We can go shopping.' And Saphira was concerned about you so she asked Susie for your address or phone number or something." She shook her head. "But according to the rules, Susie's not allowed to do that without either your or the family's permission. So she tired to call you, but the line wasn't working."

Murtagh nodded slowly and interrupted. "Must have been during that big storm we had earlier this month. Lost all phone and electricity for three days."

Arya nodded. "Anyways, since she couldn't get permission, she told Saphira that she couldn't legally give out your information." Arya sighed. "She looked heart broken as she left. Told me she'd send a post card when she could." She bent over to rummage through the nightstand beside the bed and pulled out a card. She tossed it to Eragon. "Sent that to me last week."

Eragon glanced at the building on the front before flipping it over.

_Arya, you wouldn't believe where I've been! Incredible. When I get home, I'll call you and tell you all about it. Should be a couple of weeks. If you hear from Eragon, tell him what happened and I'll try to find him when I get back._

_Love, Saph._

Eragon smiled as she stared at the handwriting. "Sounds like she's fine." He tossed the card back after Murtagh took a quick glance at it.

Arya nodded. "Yeah. Haven't heard from her since, but she's not due back for another week at least."

"Another week?" Eragon whined. "Who knows how long after that it will take her!"

"Well… what if you contacted her first?" Murtagh turned slightly and repositioned himself on the bed.

"How? We don't know where her new _parents_ live." Arya said.

"Records." Murtagh said. "They have to keep records of all kids that come and go through here. How else would this Susie girl know how to get a hold of you? So there should be a copy of…"

"Her address and phone number!" Eragon squealed.

"Oh perfect!" Arya clapped her hands together. "You guys couldn't have come on a better day!"

"Why?" Eragon tilted his head to the side.

"They're doing a talent show out back. Set up this little stage too. Mainly for the little kids, but the whole school will be attending." She smiled. "Only one of the counselors will be staying inside to man the office incase someone comes in."

"Do you know who?" Eragon slid forward on the bed and leaned on his knees, feeding off her excitement.

Arya shook her head. "But between me and your hot new brother…" She winked in Murtagh's direction. "We should be able to distract whoever it is long enough to give you time to snoop."

"Me?" Eragon whined. "Why do I have to do it?"

"The best man for the job."

Eragon glared at Murtagh and pouted slightly, sending Arya into a fit of giggles.

"Arya? Eragon?"

All three sets of eyes turned towards the door as it was pushed all the way open.

"Hey Angela!" Arya said, still giggling.

"All okay in here?"

Arya nodded. "Of course!" She smiled sweetly and batted her eyes.

Angela sighed and shook her head. "Should I ask?"

"Oh Angela, you are so funny."

The counselor shook her head again and turned for the door. "5 more minutes Arya. You're supposed to be helping the younger kids get ready for the show."

"Yes Angela." Arya waited for her to disappear down the hall before getting off her bed and squeezing in between Eragon and Murtagh. "Okay. So… the plan is…"

The trio chatted for a few minutes before Arya was called downstairs. She grumbled as she glared at the door. "You two stay here until the show starts. Should be like 15 minutes." Then without another word, she disappeared out the door.

Eragon sighed and fell backwards on the bed. "This sucks. I hate waiting!"

Murtagh smiled as she leaned back on the bed, lying down beside the brunette. "Sometimes, being around you makes my head hurt."

Eragon gasped and grabbed a pillow. "That's not very nice!"

Murtagh anticipated the action and wrenched the pillow away before Eragon threw it. "There will be none of that young man!" The taller male's voice took on an authoritive edge.

"Who are you calling young man?" Eragon glared and pounced on him.

The two wrestled on the bed for a moment before Eragon wound up pinned to the bed with the darker youth straddling his waist. "Ugh!" The brunette groaned against Murtagh's strength. "Ease up!"

Murtagh laughed loudly and leaned down closer to Eragon's face. "Give up?"

Eragon's voice hitched as he felt the hot breath on his cheeks. He swallowed the lump forming in his throat. "Uh…"

Murtagh laughed and opened his mouth to taunt the brunette but was interrupted by a cough from the doorway. "Back so soon?" He said instead and climbed off Eragon.

Eragon groaned and hoped his flushed face went unnoticed.

Whether or not Arya found the situation odd, she bounded into the room and grabbed both of their hands. "Come on! It just started! The front room is empty!"

Eragon bit his lip and hung back as he followed behind. He felt a bit nervous as he thought about sneaking into the office and rifling through Saphira's file. But he also felt angry at Arya for coming back so soon and interrupting his and Murtagh's game. He wasn't completely sure why this little anger lingered as they entered the empty room.

Arya motioned for them to wait as she ran over to peer inside the office. She came running back a few minutes later with a big smile on her face. "Oh this is perfect!" She squealed. "Utterly perfect!"

"What is? Eragon asked, tilting his head to the side.

"Justin! He's minding the office!"

"Justin?"

"He's new as well." Arya explained. "Brom's replacement. He's actually Angela's brother."

Eragon nodded slowly. "How is that a good thing?"

Arya laughed. "Well… last week… a couple of the girls decided to snoop around a bit in his room during the staff meeting…" She saw the expression on Eragon's face and hurried to continue. "We weren't trying to steal anything or the like. He's just a very silent guy and keeps to himself. We were just wondering if he had a girlfriend." Arya laughed. "He is Angela's much, much younger brother, after all. We heard he got the job so that Angela could keep a better watch on him. Heard he got kicked out of college."

Eragon shook his head slowly. "Okay. As entertaining as all of this is, what has it got to do with anything?"

"Let's just say that we found some rather… shocking and questionable magazines."

"Magazines?" Murtagh repeated slowly and shook his head as she saw the glint in her eyes. "I don't like where this is going."

Arya smiled. "I'm not asking you to go out with him. Just flirt a little. I'll get him to come out of the office, you turn on the charm to keep him busy, and Eragon can go snooping."

Eragon looked between he two, confusion written on his face. "Wait a minute… who is flirting with who?"

"Murtagh and Justin." Arya said with a _duh_ tone. "Justin is gay. And from what we found out, is currently single."

"Oh…" Eragon stole a glance at Murtagh and tried to read the older male's expression. "Are you okay with this?"

Murtagh shrugged. "If it'll help, I'm game."

Eragon felt a twinge of jealousy that Murtagh was so willing to flirt with another guy. He bit his lip and turned away, hoping his feelings didn't read on his face. What was wrong with him?

"Okay! This is great!" Arya slapped her hands together and practically jumped. "So… you two stay here, okay? I'll go get Justin and when we get back, Eragon, you say you left your phone or something in the car. That way, you can go out front towards the office. I'll scream about seeing a spider or something when your time is up, okay?" She exchanged nods with them before dashing off.

"I have a bad feeling about this…" Eragon muttered.

"Oh come on!" Murtagh said, slapping him on the back. "Could be fun.

Eragon grunted in answer just as Arya came back with a blonde guy in tow.

Justin was a bit taller than Eragon, but not quite as tall are Murtagh. He had short blonde hair that was spiked up and blue eyes that matched his sister's. He had each of his ears pierced and all over looked no older than Eragon. In reality, he was a few years older than Murtagh and had only gotten the job as Brom's replacement because of Angela. As the new senior staff member, Angela had more pull with employees. He had been kicked out of college, as Arya had heard. He got in a few fights and had put his roommate in the hospital when he called him a faggot. Both came away with a few cracked ribs and bruises, but Justin was asked to leave.

"So Arya… now what is the problem that's so important that you just had to drag me away from the office? Angela will have my ass if she finds out."

Arya giggled and waved her hand. "Everyone is out back. No one will find out. Besides, I wanted you to meet a friend of mine."

"Hey Arya…" Eragon interrupted awkwardly. "I think I left my… uh… that book… thing… in the car…" He stammered.

"Book?" She repeated confused.

"Yeah… I made a… scrapbook… yeah a scraobook of you, me, and Saphira. And I… wanted to show it to you."

"Oh. Yeah." Arya forced a smile and laughed. "Run and get it. We'll be waiting right here." She latched onto Justin's arm and pulled him closer to her position beside Murtagh.

"Yeah. Be right back." Eragon turned just as he saw Murtagh smile at the blonde.

He had been in the office once before, when Brom had caught him trying to sneak into the girl's bedroom to see Saphira. The punishment was he had to sit quietly and watch Brom fill out paperwork. It hadn't actually been a bad afternoon. It was back when Eragon liked Brom. He enjoyed talking with the older man. And on that afternoon, he had been allowed to sit in the chair at the desk and spun around in it until he threw up.

Eragon smiled as he slipped inside the empty office and looked around. It hadn't changed much in the ten years since he was last there. The desks and chairs were relatively in the same place. The large window that opened out into the front hall was the same. And the wall lined with filing cabinets was exactly the same too.

Eragon shook the memories from his head and turned towards the cabinet. His steps were hesitant as he came closer towards them. He bit his lips as his hand reached into the cabinet and began sorting through the names. He went through the first entire cabinet and half of the second before he found the name he sought. With a smile, he stood up and crossed over to one of the desks.

On top, he found a post-it pad and a few pens scattered about. Back at the cabinet, he opened Saphira's file and skimmed the pages of the adoption until he located the address and number. He quickly scribbled it down on the post-it, folded it in half, and then stuffed it in his pocket. He smiled as he returned the file back to its place.

He was about to close the cabinet when another name caught his eye. Tentatively, he pulled it from the drawer and opened it slowly. "He was adopted…" Eragon mused softly.

"Who was?"

Eragon dropped the folder and jumped up as he heard the voice. "Arya, you scared the hell out of me! What are you doing in here?"

Arya smiled. "Coming to tell you that you have five minutes. Justin took Murtagh out front to show him his motorcycle." She smiled. "Rather cute, huh?"

Eragon scowled slightly at the thought of them alone together. He masked his concern, though. "I'm supposed to be out in the parking lot now. He'll notice…"

Arya laughed and shook her head. "He won't notice anything except Murtagh's beautiful, dark eyes."

Eragon dropped his gaze to the floor.

Arya turned around and peered out of the door, keeping watch. "Find what you were looking for?"

"Yeah. I just have to… put the file back…" He turned, bent back down, and picked the file and its scattered contents off the floor. A photo had slipped out as he did so.

"Hurry up!" Arya prompted from the door.

"Just a second." Eragon fished the photo off the floor. He was about to slip it back into the folder when he caught a glance at it. "What the…"

"Eragon, come on!"

Shaking his head, he slipped the photo into his pocket with the address and put the file away. Then he turned and followed Arya out.

"Come on. Back upstairs for a moment."

Eragon only nodded as he followed Arya up the stairs. The two boys in the picture plagued his mind. He knew instantly the small brunette had been himself. But the taller, black haired boy he wasn't sure of. And why had the photo been in that folder?

"Here!" Arya said, shoving something at Eragon.

"What is this?" He looked from the blank book to Arya.

She smiled. "It's my journal. The only personal thing I have. No one touches it. Write down your address, okay?"

"Why mine?"

"Incase she gets a hold of me before you get a hold of her. I can pass on your information to her."

Eragon nodded as he scribbled down on the page quickly.

"Okay… now…" Arya jumped up and grabbed his hand. "We should get you back outside."

Eragon hardly had time to nod before he was wrenched down the stairs. His head spun with questions he longed to have answered as he was thrust out into the fading sun. His eyes found Murtagh instantly, leaning up against the driver's side down of his own car. Justin stood a few feet away with a smile on his face.

Eragon got a sinking feeling as he spied a piece of paper being passed from the blonde. "Hey!" He called out, running down to the parking lot.

Murtagh glanced at the paper handed to him before folding it and stuffing it in his back pocket. "All set?" He said, looking over at Eragon.

The brunette nodded. "Yeah…"

Murtagh nodded and pushed off from the car. "Well… I guess we'd better get going then, kiddo. It's a long drive back."

"Yeah." Eragon turned and gave Arya a hug. "Thanks for everything."

She smiled as they pulled apart. "Don't mention it. And you know… now I expect to hear from you, okay? A call or a letter… you hear?"

Eragon nodded and headed towards the car.

Murtagh waved at Arya. "It was nice to meet you."

She nodded. "You both will have to come back for a visit."

With a laugh and a nod, Murtagh turned towards Justin and offered him a broad smile. "And it was very nice to meet you."

Justin beamed he nodded and watched Murtagh get into the car. "Likewise. And you be sure to give me a call when it doesn't work out."

Murtagh nodded as he turned the car on, put it into gear, and pulled out of the parking lot.

Eragon peered out of the window, watching as Arya, Justin, and the school drifted out of view. "So…" He said softly. "What did Justin mean?"

"Hmm?"

"About what not working out?" Eragon prompted slowly.

"Oh… that…" Murtagh laughed and shook his head. "Well… Arya was right. The dude was defiantly into dudes. And he thinks I'm hot." A hint of arrogance sifted into his tone as he said this last part. "Started asking me all these questions. And after only knowing me for like ten minutes, he asks me out, to a movie."

"Oh?" Eragon murmured softly, his eyes locked on the road.

Murtagh nodded. "Told him that I had a boyfriend. He gave me his number anyways and…"

"Said to call you when it didn't work out." Eragon smiled slightly.

"Yeah. A bit overly cocky."

Eragon rolled his eyes. "Like someone else I know."

Murtagh smirked as he started to fiddle with the radio. "Subtle."

Eragon was silent for a moment, mulling over the question that formed in his head. "Hey Murtagh…"

"Yeah?"

"Do you… have you…" Eragon heard his voice but the question in his head suddenly felt absurd. He shouldn't be thinking it. And he certainly shouldn't be asking.

"What? A boyfriend?" Murtagh cast a sideways glance at him and laughed. "Nah. Never dating a guy. Not my thing. I've had my share of girlfriends…" He laughed. "Probably a few peoples worth…"

"Sorry I asked." Eragon said, a tad sadly. "I didn't mean to pry. It's none of my business."

"Meh. Doesn't bother me. If it did, wouldn't have answered." Murtagh said with a shrug. "But what about you?"

"Me?" Eragon laughed. "Never really had a girlfriend. Went to public school and everything, but living at Surda..."

"Not the easiest place to grow up, huh?" Murtagh offered.

Eragon nodded. "Yeah. You could say that. Anyways, everyone always assumed Saphira and I were an item. So I guess any interest anyone had in either of us was stifled."

Murtagh nodded slowly, and then smiled slyly. "What about that Arya? She's a character."

"Arya?" Eragon laughed loudly at the suggestion. "Hell no! She's a character alright, but she's barely a friend. She's just a flirt." He smiled as he thought about Arya and Saphira. "Saph used to tease me about her, saying I was in love with her." He rolled his eyes. "What the hell gave her that idea, I'll never know."

They laughed a bit, but the mention of Saphira damped the brunette's mood slightly and the car was covered in silence. Eragon sighed as he leaned back in his seat. He closed his eyes briefly and his mind wandered back to the file he had found and the picture inside.

"Find the address?"

Eragon opened his eyes at Murtagh's voice and rooted around in the pocket for it. "Yeah."

Murtagh glanced at the address before handing the paper back. "I think I know where this is. But it's about an hour in the opposite direction of home."

Eragon nodded. "Yeah, figured as much."

"Well… you've done what you can. Arya said she wasn't due back for a least another week. I say let's go home and you can write her a letter, okay? And we'll mail it tomorrow. That way when she gets home, it'll be waiting there."

Eragon said nothing as he looked out the window. The thought about Saphira was comforting, but there were new things on his mind now.

* * *

**Author's Notes: **MUHAHAHAHA!! So no Saphira in this chapter, but lots of Murtagh goodness. This chapter and the next one were supposed to be one big chapter, but it was getting way too big for my tastes. So I chopped it in half. XD More Murtagh and Eragon in the next chapter! So to those I told that there would only be 4 chapters, I lied. 5 now. XD


	3. Happy Letter

Chapter 2 was updated and reposted on June 25th, 2008. Mistakes were fixed and about 1000 words were added. So if you read chapter 2 before June 25th, 2008, you should probably reread it. But if you don't want to, then don't. I can't make you.

Same Disclaimer, Dedication, Notes, and whatever from the first chapter. Click back and reread them if you forget whatever it was that I typed.

* * *

**All I've Ever Wanted**

**Chapter 3: Happy Letter**

It was a nice sized room. Smaller than the one Murtagh called his, but bigger than the old room at Surda. The walls were bare and painted white in odd patches. Half was the white of the old walls; the rest was the off color of the newly placed drywall. The western wall still had a few unfinished holes where the wires had been removed and replaced. The closet door, bathroom door, and entrance door had all been removed as well and were propped up against one of the finished walls, waiting to be sanded and repainted.

But the windows were the brunette's favorite. It was a corner room and had windows on both of the corner walls. Two along the longest back wall and one along the wall to the right. A total of three large windows and there would be no fighting over who got to sleep next to it. No furniture lined the walls yet and the floor was waiting to be finished. Even the lights that used to adorn the walls had been removed and their sockets ready to be replaced.

All-in-all, Eragon loved it.

* * *

"Knock, knock."

The brunette smiled as he turned around and to see Garrow framing the doorway. "Sorry." He said, reaching up to scratch at the back of his neck. "Just daydreaming."

The elder man smiled as he stepped into the room, taking a slow glance around. "Daydreaming?" He repeated with a nod of his head.

Eragon nodded a bit sheepishly.

"Well…" Garrow turned and spun around slowly. "Tell me, Eragon. What do you envision?"

"Envision?" The brunette repeated, following Garrow's gaze.

"Yes." The man said, turning again to look at the brunette. "For your room."

"My room?"

Garrow laughed and shook his head. "Is there an echo in here?" He stepped closer to Eragon, smiling.

"Echo?" Eragon looked a bit confused.

"I could have sworn I was in a bedroom and not the Boer Mountains." Garrow threw his arm around Eragon's shoulders. "The room, my son. What do you envision for your room?"

Eragon's gaze dropped to the floor. "I don't know." He said softly.

"Well… start with the floor. Carpet or wood?"

"Carpet or…" Eragon repeated slowly.

"And the walls. What colors? Any thoughts on curtains? What about the furniture? We'll have to go shopping. You'll need a bed and a dresser at least. You'll probably want a desk for school. And shelves." He released his hold on Eragon and crossed towards the door-less closet. "This closet is rather small. We may want to think about expanding it."

All the talk had Eragon's head spinning. Flooring? Colors? Curtains? Furniture? For him? And he had to pick it out? He didn't need this much space. "Uh… expanding?"

Garrow nodded and turned. "There's a linen closet on the other side of this wall. We could knock out the back wall of your closet here, remove the door of the linen closet, and knock out this wall here…" He tapped the wall right beside the doorframe. "And give you a nice, large walk-in closet."

"A walk-in what?"

"A closet." Garrow laughed. "Stay with me, kiddo."

"Sorry." Eragon said softly. "I just… don't want you to go to much trouble."

"Me?" Garrow laughed again and shook his head. "I have three strapping, young sons to do all the work. I'll just stand by the door and bark orders."

"Three sons…" Eragon repeated slowly. It was the second time in that conversation that Garrow had referred to him as a son.

Garrow's expression grew a bit more serious as he stared at him. "Yes Eragon. I don't know how many times I have to tell you. You are a permanent member of this family. We like you. We want you to stick around."

The brunette smiled and nodded slowly. "I'd like that."

"The law says we're a foster family. The schools, like Surda, like to refer to us as, 'going off to college.' Some kids call us a work farm." Garrow said with a laugh. "But to us, we're just a family. You are family."

"Family…" Eragon repeated.

"Yep!" He nodded. "Complete with a father, couple of brothers, a sister… a few other spacey siblings…" He shook his head slowly. "I can't tell you what it's like explaining my son Roran is to marry my daughter Katrina." He shook his head slowly. "I tend to forget that not everyone knows the situation and those that don't tend to give me odd looks."

Eragon laughed. "Sounds confusing."

Garrow shrugged slowly. "Yes and no. Love is love. I love them both as my children. And it doesn't matter that they lived as brother and sister for four years. See, Eragon, love is a wondrous thing. When it is found, one should take it and fly."

"Lovely, sappy sentiment dad."

Eragon stiffened slightly as he heard the husky voice of the dark man he currently shared a room with. He turned slowly and looked over his shoulder.

"Ah. Murtagh! Perfect timing!" Garrow slapped his hands together rather happily. "We were just discussing the remodeling of Eragon's new room. The sooner we get it done, the sooner you get your room back."

Eragon peered at Murtagh and thought he saw something flash across those dark eyes. But as quick as it came, it was gone again and Eragon dismissed it. He was probably just imagining things anyways.

"Yeah?" Murtagh cocked his head to the side and took a step into the room.

Garrow nodded. "You can take Eragon paint shopping. I have work to do right now, but later tonight we should be able to get the walls in here finished. So tomorrow, paint time."

Murtagh laughed. "So I get volunteered to go?"

"Well… you have a car and a license." Garrow looked over at Eragon and pointed at him. "And after we're through with the room and get you moved in, we're going to get started on getting you a license."

Eragon nodded sharply. "Whatever you say." Driving actually scared him a little bit, but he would worry about that when the time came.

Murtagh smirked as he stepped closer to Eragon and threw an arm around him. "Okay then, let's go kiddo."

Eragon rolled his eyes as he pushed the dark man off him. "You are only three years older than I am. Why am I the kiddo?"

Murtagh shrugged his shoulders and turned for the door. "No clue. Just comes out naturally."

Eragon watched Murtagh's back until he disappeared out the door, glaring as best he could.

Garrow laughed. "Kind of hard to go paint shopping for your room without you."

Eragon shook the daze from his head and dashed off after Murtagh. "Hey! Wait for me!"

* * *

"Oh come on!" Murtagh groaned. "Pick a fucking color already! We're been through all the color samples at least twice. They aren't going to change!"

The brunette in question shrugged as he once again stopped in front of the color sample display. "I can't decide. And I didn't think the Garrow would actually make me pick."

Murtagh laughed. "You thought he was lying the whole time?"

"Can I help you?"

The two turned to see one of the store clerks hovering close. Murtagh threw up his arms while Eragon simply shook his head. "Just looking at the colors."

The guy nodded and offered them a smile. "Well, if you guys need help with anything, don't hesitate to ask."

Eragon smiled at the guy and nodded before turning back to the display. He picked up a color sample that had various colors of blue-green. It was the same one he had looked at a half hour ago.

Murtagh shook his head slowly. "You know… the right color isn't going to jump out at you and shout, 'Pick me! Pick me!'"

"I know that!" Eragon snapped. "I just… can't… decide…" He sighed softly and then spun around. "What do you think?"

Murtagh shook his head slowly, turned to the display, and picked a sample card instantly. Then he turned and handed it to Eragon.

"Black and gray?" Eragon peered at him, smirking.

Murtagh returned the smirk. "You asked my opinion."

"But I'm not you." The brunette whined. "What do you think for me? What color suits me?"

"And I'm not you." Murtagh persisted. "I can't think like you."

The brunette stuck his tongue out. "Oh! I give up! Let's just get white!" Eragon grabbed the white color card and turned towards the paint cans.

"Wait a minute!" Murtagh turned and intercepted him. "No white." He snatched the color card from Eragon's hand.

"But…"

"Just stand right here." He gave the hand in his a tug and then spun the brunette around. "And no peeking." Making sure that Eragon couldn't see the sample display, Murtagh glanced at the color samples for barely a second before grabbing a couple. Then he turned, grabbed a couple cans of paint, and headed over to the counter.

"What colors?" Eragon trailed behind him.

Murtagh whispered to the guy on duty and handed over the cards and cans to be mixed. "Hey, you asked for my opinion. Do you trust me?"

Eragon attempted to peek as the guy behind the counter checked the paint colors. "It's not black, is it?"

"Defiantly not."

"Gray?"

"Nope."

"Okay." Eragon shrugged and smiled.

* * *

Murtagh loaded the newly bought paint and brushes into the back of his car and slammed the trunk shut. "Did I ever tell you I hate shopping?"

Eragon slipped into the car silently and buckled his seat belt. He leaned back and let out a soft sigh. He was beginning to hate shopping as well. He was horrible at making decisions and picking things out. At Surda, everything was decided for him. Now more than ever, sitting in the car as Murtagh slid in beside him, Eragon felt out of place. He began to feel like he would never fit in. Not here, not anywhere.

"Hey… Eragon… Hello? Earth to Eragon?

Eragon shook his head slowly and glanced over at Murtagh. He was vaguely aware that he had been asked a question, but he couldn't remember what it was. "Sorry, what?"

"I asked what was wrong with you."

"Wrong?" He repeated slowly. "Uh… nothing." He answered quickly.

Murtagh shook his head. "No. I'm not taking that. All week you've been distant and spacey."

"So?"

"So?" He repeated and gripped the steering wheel tighter. "You aren't acting like yourself."

"Maybe you don't really know me." Eragon snapped.

The rest of the ride home was silent. Eragon bit his lower lip as he looked out the window. He hadn't meant to be distant. And he certainly hadn't meant to upset Murtagh. That was the last thing he wanted.

As the car slowed to a stop and was turned off, Murtagh sighed and shook his head. "I'm sorry. You're right. I have no business bugging you. I'm no one. Just the random guy who shares his room with you."

"No, Murtagh. That's not true and you know it. I don't think of you like that…" Actually, I really kind of like you, he thought. Instead of saying that, though, he said, "I'm sorry. I just… have had a lot on my mind lately. I didn't mean to snap. Just worried, I guess."

"Worried? About that un-mailed letter sitting on your desk?"

Eragon's eyes widened slightly as he looked over at Murtagh. "How did you…"

"I saw the envelope there this morning. I wasn't snooping, honest." He said with a slight smile. "Just looking to borrow a pen."

"Oh…" Eragon nodded and dropped his gaze to the floor.

"Why haven't you mailed it yet?" Murtagh prompted softly. "It's been almost a week. She's due back anytime now, right? If you go by what Arya had said."

Eragon nodded slowly.

"So why haven't you mailed it yet?"

Eragon shrugged. "I don't know."

Murtagh smiled. "Now that's a lie. I think you know exactly why."

Eragon tried to glare at him but failed miserably. Instead, he sighed and nodded. "I was ready to do it. Wrote the letter and got it ready as soon as we got back. But… then I started thinking. What if she's better off without me? She has a real family and home now. She doesn't need me anymore."

Murtagh was silent for a moment. When he looked over at Eragon, there was a slight sadness in his eyes that echoed in his voice. "You better not let dad hear that." He said softly and got out of the car.

"Hear what?" Eragon hurried to follow and circled the car to stand beside Murtagh.

"He is under the impression that you have a family as well."

Eragon colored slightly and dropped his gaze. "I didn't mean it like that. I just meant…"

Murtagh sighed. "Whatever. You guys must not have been as close of friends as you thought. Friends don't drop each other when things change. They move past it, learn from it, and accept that life tends to be unpredictable."

Eragon was stunned as he stared at Murtagh. That wasn't the way he felt at all. "I…" He stammered.

"Stop. Just stop being a pussy and mail the fucking letter. Please!"

"But…"

"You're just being insecure. From the stories I've heard and from watching how you light up you when you talk about her, it's the real deal. You two will be annoying close forever. Probably end up in the same nursing home too, babbling on about the times that Brom fellow caught you guys together after hours."

Eragon smiled at the picture it painted. "You think so?"

Murtagh nodded. "Yes I do. Now go and mail the letter before she gets back and calls Arya."

Eragon's smile faded and his eyes widened, imagining how Saphira would chew off his ear. "She wouldn't…"

Murtagh smiled as he watched the brunette race off towards the house. "Guess I'm getting the paint then." He called but was certain he wasn't heard.

* * *

Eragon sat down at his desk and pulled the letter from its envelope. He skimmed it briefly and then flipped through to the last page. He set it down on the desk and grabbed a pen. With a smile, he scribbled a few last words.

* * *

_To my dearest Saphira,_

_Greetings my Princess Seraphina Delepan of Engleton. It is I, Sir Rider Drake of Varden. I am writing to you in regards to many such things that shall be outlined in the following pages. I hope the day today finds you well and that everything with you is going wonderfully. _

_I'm sorry I missed your birthday. I tried to come and see you actually. But when I got to Surda, Arya told me what happened. I wish I would have been there. We never even got to say goodbye. It wasn't fair how Brom made me leave without seeing you. I regret that. I wasn't able to say goodbye and I wasn't there to tell you happy birthday. I hope you had a good one._

_So how am I doing, you might ask? I'm doing great. The family I'm staying with is great. Garrow, his sons Roran and Murtagh, and Roran's fiancée Katrina. Garrow and his late wife used to take in kids like us and turn them into productive members of society. Katrina was actually one such kid and she ended up never leaving. The wedding is in the planning stages and Roran has asked me to be in it. Can you believe it? I've only been here a month, but it feels like they are my family, like real family too. Garrow is a wonderful dad. He's kind and always concerned. And he actually talks. He asks questions like, 'How was your dad today?' and 'Did you learn anything new?' It's great! And Roran is great too. He's big into sports and enjoys kicking my ass on the basketball court. I've never been too good with that, but he's trying to teach me for some odd reason. He probably gets some sick, twisted pleasure from watching me trip over myself time and time again._

_The college I go to is okay. I've never been a big fan of school, but the classes are small and the instructors are nice. It's a lot different than going to those blasted public schools or the private tutors at Surda. I haven't exactly picked a major yet. Just taking some easy, filler classes for now. I never really thought about what to do with my life other than leaving Surda far behind. _

_The house is huge, although half of it is still being remolded due to bad wiring. Garrow says in a few more weeks, I'll have my own room. And he actually wants me to design it. Pick out the colors, furniture, and decorate it. I still can't believe it! I've never had my own room. I feel almost guilty about it, you know? After all those years sharing everything I owned, it feels a little wrong. I think that when I graduate, I want to go back. To Surda, you know? Maybe donate some time and money. And help out in anyway I can. _

_But anyways, until my actual room is done, I'm sharing one with Murtagh, Garrow's younger son. He's really cool. He's a bit older and taller than me, but I really like him. He's the one who took me to Surda to find you. He dropped everything he _

_was doing to drive me. You ended up not being there and all, so Arya cooked up this plan to help me find your address. The new guy Justin was the one manning the office. Do you know him? Arya mentioned he was pretty new. Angela's gay brother, although I think he's sort of keeping it a secret. Not sure. But Arya talked Murtagh into keeping Justin occupied. And I went snooping through your file to find your address. Quite easily, actually. I would think they might try and keep that sort of information a bit more secure, you know?_

_And you'll never guess who has a file there. Brom, of all people. The paperwork inside was faded and mostly illegible, but the date on it was 60 years ago. He was at Surda for 5 days before he was adopted. Can you believe it? I never knew. I wish he had still been there. I would have loved to talk to him. Angela said his father died and he retired. Were you there when that happened? Any clue where he is now?_

_But what was even stranger than Brom's folder was the picture I found tucked away in it. I included it so you can take a look at it. But do you recognize the two kids? I'm positive the brunette is me. But the dark haired kid who's hand I'm holding I have no clue. Have any clue who he is? I've been trying to figure out how old I am in it, but I don't remember. And I can't remember being friends with anyone other than you. But what gets me most about the picture is that it was hidden in Brom's adoption folder. And Brom's folder, anyways, was stuffed in the back, way out of order._

_Well, I hope to hear back from you as soon as you get home. It's pure torture not being able to talk to you. I miss you being down the hall! So get your ass back!_

_Love, Eragon_

_P.S. I think I'm going crazy without you. Like really crazy. I think that without you here, I've sort of latched onto Murtagh. I've become overly attached to him and felt jealous when we were at Surda. Arya and that guy Justin were hanging all over him and I kept wanting to smack them both. Think that's weird?_

* * *

Eragon sighed softly as he reread the letter a few more times. His life at Surda felt so far away and distant. "Has it really been just over a month? How can things feel so… different in just a short period of time?" He mused to himself, folding the letter and slipping it back into its envelope, along with the picture he had found.

* * *

**Author's Notes:** XD Aren't these chapter titles just soooo stupid? This one especially. But hey… I'm not good with story/chapter titles. And did I confuse and surprise anyone? Bet you all thought the folder Eragon found was Murtagh's! Nyah! If it doesn't make sense, it might make more later. Stay turned to find out what happens next. No Murtagh in the next chapter or Eragon for that matter, but they'll both return for the last one.


	4. Happy Truth

Sorry about the lateness. I have VERY limited internet access. That means I can only get on when I either go into town to the library all day while my mother's at work or when I go down the street to babysit. So if I can get on once a week, I'm lucky. But luckily, this week I get to babysit and get to go into town to give massages at the college library. WOOT!!

Same Disclaimer, Dedication, Notes, and whatever from the first chapter. Click back a few times and reread them if you forget whatever it was that I typed. Monica and Rich are characters of mine, created for this story. Gave them a little back story too. Not very important, but whatever.

* * *

**All I've Ever Wanted**

**Chapter 4: Happy Truth**

The place was huge. It had its own street, Draft Drive, and its own name on all the city maps, Draft Manor. It had a small river that ran through the property and a large bridge crossing over the river. It was almost like a moat and for a moment, she was taken back to a time where castles and dragons seemed real. A smile touched her lips as she thought about how the princess and her knight braved many dangers and had many adventures.

"Eragon wouldn't believe this!"

There was a tennis court outback and a swimming pool as well. Off to the right was a huge stable that housed a few champion horses. There was a huge garage with half a dozen expensive vehicles.

"This is a house? Does it have its own zip code?"

They had all laughed at her question and ushered her inside, past the foyer, up the long winding stairs, and down the hall.

"Now it's not finished!" She had been told. "We weren't sure on what colors you liked best or other things of the like. If anything doesn't suit you or it unpleases you in anyway, make a list. We'll go shopping this weekend and pick out new paint and whatever else you want."

Saphira had only nodded as she reached for the handle of the door. What she was expecting was certainly not what she found. As she was herded up, her mind plagued with images on a room filled with ruffled, flowers, and unicorns. She imagined pink lace in the windows and pearls sprinkled everywhere. Arya had always said, "Pink is a girl's best friend. Screw diamonds! They are gaudy and heavy. Give ma a lovely pink boa instead!"

The door slid open easily on its hinges and what lay before her brought a gasp to her lips. The room was huge, easily the size of a small apartment. The top half of the walls were painted in a soft, light lilac color while the bottom half was a darker, richer version. The floor was a deep brown polished wood, adorned heavily with rugs in shades of blue-green that looked lovely with the purple of the walls. The large bed at the center had a canopy and curtains that hung to the floor. The soft blue color and fabric of those curtains matched the ones on the windows.

Compared to the size of the room, there wasn't a lot of furniture. There was a large dresser, along with a book shelf, large desk complete with a computer and stereo, a vanity table with a large mirror, and a few empty bookshelves, all in the same dark brown. The walls were relatively bare other than a few sconces and a flat screen television.

The colors greatly appealed to her, as well as the space and lay of it. It was like it was meant for her.

* * *

It took her nearly two hours to get everything she now owned unpacked and put away. True to their words, her new adopted parents had bought her everything she could need while they were gone and plenty more. A whole new wardrobe, jewelry, designer purses, to-die-for but painful shoes, and a complete set of traveling luggage. They had also picked up a few dozen books when she made the mistake of mentioning how mush she loved to read.

The last thing she put away was one of the very few things she had taken with her from Surda. It was a newly framed collage of her and Eragon that he had made for her last birthday when they were together. She set the picture down on the nightstand beside the bed and smiled.

Turning in a slow circle, she looked around the whole room. It was very tidy now that she had everything put away. She stuck her tongue out and pulled a pair of shorts out her dresser. With a smirk, she dropped them and watched as they fell to the floor. "Oops!"

Then she ran over to her closet and added a few shirts to the floor. She also scattered her books and papers across the desk and unmade the bed.

"Well… I see that you got settled in just fine."

Saphira spun around at the laughing voice. She nodded and laughed as well. "Yes, I certainly did. Sorry Monica. I'll clean it right up."

* * *

Rich and Monica Draft were high school sweethearts. Both grew up with money and were never left physically wanting. When they graduated high school, they said their goodbyes and went their separate ways. Monica flew off to Paris for a few modeling gigs and Rich went to his father's alma mater.

Rich moved up fast in his father's advertising firm and when his old man had a heart attack and was forced into early retirement, Rich took over and the business flourished. In his mid-thirties, he flew to Paris to meet with a new client. He had spoken with her a few times on the phone and knew her only as Moni, head of the best modeling agency in Europe.

Monica moved up fast in the modeling world. She started out catalogue and was soon doing runway and photo shoots for top designers. She reached top model stardom by age twenty six and started her own small agency. By her mid-thirties, her agency was very well known in all of Europe and she was looking to open a chapter back home. She called up one of the biggest advertising firms in America and set up a meeting.

"Monica?" Rich had exclaimed loudly when they met at her offices. "What a small world! Do you work for Moni?"

She had laughed and shook her head. "No. When I was first starting out, my agent suggested a name change."

They were married six months later and despite their equal love of children, they were too busy. Rich's company branched out and grew. Monica still had her agency, as well as a clothing and accessory line, and had even been offered a talk show. Their lives didn't slow down either. Now they were just past forty and had no one to leave their legacies to.

That was where Saphira came in. Rich and Monica decided that if they couldn't have their own children, they would adopt. And a baby was out of the question at the moment. Neither of them wanted to rely on nannies and sitters to raise any child they would call their own. They spent nearly a year searching before they were led to Surda and to Saphira.

* * *

Despite her age of fortyish, she was tall, slender, and hand long, blond hair. She adjusted the strap on her purse and shook her head. "Don't." Monica smiled. "It's your room. If this is the way you want to live…"

Saphira shook her head quickly. "Oh no! I'm a very neat, tidy, and organized person, I assure you."

Monica folded her arms across her chest and tilted her head to the side. "Oh really?"

Saphira nodded. "I swear. Just seeing what it felt like."

"To be a slob?"

Saphira giggled and nodded. "Back at Surda, everything had to b e kept clean and tidy. We'd get in trouble if things weren't put away or beds weren't made."

Monica smiled and nodded. "I think I understand." She crossed the room and sat down on the corner of the unkempt bed. "It looks more lived in now." She said with a wink.

Saphira beamed as she sat down beside her new adopted mother.

"Still all new, huh?"

"Yeah." Saphira nodded, looking around the whole room.

"It'll probably feel that way for a while." Monica said softly. "But we really do want you to feel at home here. We don't expect to be called mom and dad, but we still want to be family."

Saphira's face brightened up. "Thanks."

"Now… any thoughts on school?" Monica prompted.

Saphira leaned back against the headboard and paused in thought before answering. "A few…"

"No rushing, of course." Monica said quickly. "You've already missed the start of the semester. Or if you aren't interested in school right away or even at all, there's always an internship at Rich's firm or perhaps at my agency…" She said with a wink.

Saphira giggled as she imagined herself on a runway. The expensive clothes, the bright lights, the paparazzi, the screaming fans… "Maybe I could try my hand at it, if you'll coach me. But what I'd really like to do is get into social work, help out kids."

"Yes! Of course!" Monica was beaming when she stood up. "Well… I will leave you to finish settling in." She made to leave, but stopped at the door and turned around. "I nearly forgot!" She dug around in her forgotten purse and pulled out an envelope. "This apparently arrived in the mail for you a few days ago."

"It did?" Saphira jumped off the bed and practically ran towards Monica. "A letter? For me?" She flipped it over and instantly recognized Eragon's handwriting. "Eragon…" She breathed out, smiling.

"Eragon?" Monica repeated. "That guy friend of yours you always talk about?"

Saphira wrinkled her nose. "Yes, but emphasis on the friend part."

Monica smiled. "Alright." She pointed towards the desk. "Incase you haven't looked, there's stationary, envelopes, and stamps in there, if you want to return a letter. If you get in done in time, it could get sent out today."

Saphira waited until Monica disappeared down the hall before shutting the door and sitting down at the desk. "How on earth did he find me?" With a smile, she tore it open and pulled out the folded papers. She unfolded them and glanced at the picture. She smiled as she recognized Eragon instantly, but she couldn't place the other boy. Setting it aside, she skimmed the letter briefly, and then looked again at the picture.

A half hour later, after staring at the picture long enough to memorize the features of the dark haired boy and after reading the letter all the way through three times, she pulled out the stationary and started a letter.

* * *

_Dearest Eragon,_

_The day finds your Princess quite well in her palace of Engleton. And when I say palace, I mean palace. You should see this place. It's amazing! Swimming pool, tennis court, stables, and there's a river as well. Just like a moat. And you wouldn't believe the inside! A huge library, gym, and the kitchen is bigger than the top floor of Surda by itself. I swear I'm going to need a map to get used to it all. And did I mention the private driver? They hired me one since I have no license. Anytime day or night I need a ride, I can get one. Too much, isn't it? I just got back, so I haven't had a chance to take a spin, but I can't wait!_

_And my new parents. Rich and Monica Draft. They are great! High school sweethearts that separated and met again by coincidence. I was completely wrong about them. They never had any kids and really were looking for someone to love. I don't mean to sound cliché, but I think it was destiny that brought them to Surda. They were meant to be my parents. Rich is in advertising and Monica is a famous supermodel that goes by Moni. She wants me to join her agency. Can you imagine me as a runway model? With my face plastered all over the place? I told her I'd give it a try, but I'm more interested in working with kids. _

_My birthday was fine. Nothing really special. I missed you. How many birthdays have we spent together, huddled up in some secret place at Surda? Way too many. But it was okay. As for you, sounds like everything is going great. Your family sounds wonderful. I would love having brothers and sisters. But I'll just have to settle for drivers and servants._

_I would have LOVED to see you and Arya plotting and sneaking in the office at Surda. Sounds like fun. If I wasn't so stable in our friendship, I might get jealous of you two. Causing so much trouble without me. Anyways, I knew Brom left, but not about Justin. Sounds like Angela has her work cut out for her. Having to keep eyes out for Arya and Justin. I wouldn't want her job for anything._

_But now onto the important part. I do see you in that picture, but I can't place the boy with you. I'm sure I haven't met him before. And Brom having a folder? That means he's been at Surda literally forever. I wonder why he never left. He never seemed to like it much. But anyways, I was planning on heading over to Surda to visit Arya, so maybe I'll find something out about this kid. And soon, I'll have to plan a trip to see you when you have a day off._

_And that Murtagh guy sounds really nice. And it sounds like you two are getting along great. I don't find it weird at all, but I think you need to decide that for yourself. Because it sounds to me like you more than like him._

_So until next time._

_Your Princess,  
__Saphira_

* * *

The next day found Saphira at a small restaurant, having lunch with her hired driver. She leaned back in her seat and smiled. "I still can't believe it. Out of all the people in the world that Monica could have hired, I get stuck with you. Thought I'd never see you again."

The driver laughed, nodded, and took a sip of his drink. "And I you. It has been a long time.

The last time Saphira had seen Thorn was when his aunt came to pick him up from Surda. He had grown up a lot since then. He was at least a foot taller than her and built more for hard labor instead of playing chauffeur. There was a mop of thick, red hair on the top of his head and a few freckles dotted his cheeks and nose.

"So, Thorn, tell me. How have things been for you?"

Thorn shrugged and leaned back in his chair. "After Surda, I moved in with my aunt, about five hours drive from here. I became just another face in the crowd there. She had five kids already." He shook his head slowly. "Anyways, while I was there, I got all the jobs I could. Babysitting, yard work, repair; anything to make money. And as soon as I graduated from high school, I moved here. Got myself an apartment and started college." He paused a moment to take another drink. "I depleted my savings last year, so I had to take a year off to save up." He smiled. "And that's where Miss Monica came in. I was working as a mechanic downtown. She just came in one day. Said she was looking to hire a new driver and up and asked me. She took me out on this driving interview thing, asked me some questions, and talked to my boss." He laughed and shook his head. "I make more working for her for a week than I did working fulltime and over for a month there."

Saphira shook her head slowly. "Really… what are the chances?"

Thorn laughed. "About the same as finding a needle in a haystack."

She smiled and laughed and then shook her head slowly. "So… up for a little trip?"

* * *

Saphira slammed the car door shut and turned to smile up at what used to be her home. "Are you coming in with me?" She asked, hearing another car door slam.

The red head walked around the car to stand beside her and smiled. "Sure. That way I can keep an eye on you and report back to my boss."

Saphira rolled her eyes at him and grabbed his hand. "Come on!"

Before they even made it to the front door, Arya was out the front door and running towards them. "Saphira!" She squealed, pulling up just short of colliding with them.

"Hey Arya. Good to see you."

She smiled and looked over at Thorn. "Who's your friend?" She asked, cocking her head to the side and smiling.

Saphira shook her head and rolled her eyes. Arya really was a shameless flirt.

Thorn gave her a curt nod of his head. "I am Thorn." He said in a rather professional voice. "I am Miss Saphira's personal driver."

Arya's eyes widened. "Oh! A personal driver! And a cute one at that! My! How the rich live!"

Saphira laughed and held up her hands. "Okay, you can stop right there. I didn't have any choice in the matter; he was hired for me until I get my license. And he's actually an old friend. I haven't changed any."

Arya crossed her arms and cocked her head to the side. "Oh yeah? I give you another week, tops."

"Arya, we're here to speak with Angela." Saphira said, ignoring Arya's comment. "Do you know if she's here?"

Arya nodded. "Yeah, she's here. Saw her in the office on my… way out…" She said slowly, tilting her head to the side. "I assume that Eragon found you, right?"

Saphira nodded.

"And told you how we snuck into the office and broke into your records?"

Saphira nodded again.

"Oh man!" Arya squealed. "That was a great day! Eragon's new brother is like so totally hot."

"Arya, we're sort of on a time schedule. We need to see Angela."

"Oh right! Then let's go." She spun around and headed back inside.

Thorn grabbed Saphira's arm when she made a move to follow. "We aren't on a schedule." He whispered.

Saphira winked. "But it got her to shut up."

He laughed and followed behind her as Arya led them inside.

Angela spied them through the office window and was out to greet them a moment later. "Saphira! It's nice to see you back. What a surprise! Eragon was just here last week."

Saphira nodded. "Yeah. He's the reason I came. I have a couple questions for you."

"For me?" Angela smiled. "Well, why don't we go into the office? We can talk there in private, if you wish."

Saphira glanced back at Thorn.

Angela looked over at him and smiled. "Your friend is welcome to come in too."

"He's my driver, Thorn." Saphira said.

"Yep. That's me. The driver. And I'll stay out here." He said with a smile.

"And I'll keep him company!" Arya said, latching onto his arm.

Saphira laughed. "I'll try not to take too long." She said with a wink and then followed Angela into the office.

"Now…" Angela said, taking a seat. "What can I do for you?"

Saphira reached into her purse and pulled out the picture of Eragon and the unknown boy. She placed it on the table between then and slid it closer to Angela. "Do you know who the boys in this picture are?"

Angela picked up the picture and studied it for a moment. She tilted her head to the side, thinking. "Well, this cute little brunette is Eragon."

Saphira nodded. "Yeah. But the black haired boy. Do you recognize him?"

Angela shook her head. "No, sorry. I don't."

Saphira sighed and leaned back in her chair. "Do you remember when Eragon was first brought here?"

Angela shook her head again. "No. I believe he came in before I started working here."

"Man!" Saphira shook her head. "I was hoping you'd remember."

"Sorry I can't help. Is it important?"

"Not really." Saphira said slowly. "Eragon was just curious. He found the picture discarded in a waste bin before he left here." She lied. "He knows it's him in the picture and got a little wigged out that he couldn't remember it being taken or the kid whose hand he's holding."

Angela nodded slowly. "Well… I think the only one who could possibly answer that no longer works here."

"Really?" Saphira smiled. "Who?"

"Brom."

"Brom?" Saphira sighed. "I don't suppose you know where he is now."

Angela smiled. 'Well… of course I do. He keeps close contact. I spoke with him a few days ago."

"Could you possibly give me his phone number? Or city or address? Smoke signal, perhaps?"

Angela laughed. "I probably shouldn't, but what the hell? You and Eragon were always his favorites. He'd probably be happy to hear form you."

"Really?" Saphira's eyes widened. "You think so?"

Angela grabbed a scrap of paper and scribbled on it. "Sure." She slid the paper, along with the photo, back across the table towards Saphira. "Here. He lives a few hours away from here."

Saphira glanced at the address and smiled. "Thanks Angela!" She stood up and gave the older woman a hug.

"Hope you guys find what you're looking for."

"Me too."

* * *

"So… are you going to tell me why we are going to see Brom?"

Saphira leaned farther back in her seat and stretched her arms out in front of her. "Nope. I want answers first. I have a few thoughts on the matter, but I want the truth."

"And you think Brom will give them to you?"

Saphira shrugged. "No clue. Just hoping."

Thorn nodded, his eyes still on the road in front of them. "Fair enough. I'm just the driver anyways."

Saphira laughed and looked over at him, smiling. "You know I will never think of you as just the driver, right?"

"God, I hope so."

She blushed slightly and they chatted idly for a while. A few hours later, Thorn pulled the car to a stop in front of a small ranch house. It was weathered and the pale tan paint was chipping in places. The yard was a bit overgrown and it had a few bushes and a tree off to the side.

"This is the place?" Thorn leaned over into Saphira's seat slightly to get a better view of the house.

"So says the address." She answered, her eyes on the house as well.

"And he's expecting you?"

She nodded. "He sounded surprised, but not upset when I called." She sighed and turned towards Thorn. "Well… I hate to be bossy…"

The red head smiled. "Hey, I work for Monica for you. So, technically, you are my boss. So boss away."

"Well then…" She smiled slyly. "I shall have to remember that for later. But for now… I think it's getting a bit late." It was already way past afternoon. "And I'm not sure how long I'll be here. So perhaps we need a hotel room."

"Got it." Thorn said with a nod of his head. "Think I can handle that without screwing it up."

She stuck her tongue out. "You have my faith." She eased her door open and stepped out.

"You need anything, give me a call." Thorn called as she walked away.

"Sure thing!"

By the time she reached the porch, Brom was standing in the doorway, a smile on his aged face. "Well I'll be… she actually showed up."

"I said I would." She said innocently. "Don't I always do what I say?"

Brom eyed her for a moment before nodding slowly. "That you do." He stepped back into the house and motioned for her to follow. "Come on in."

Saphira followed him in and accepted a glass of lemonade when he offered it. "Thanks!" She sat down on the faded sofa in his living room.

"So…" Brom leaned forward slightly. "Let's get right to business. You said you had some questions to ask me and something to show me."

Saphira smiled slightly as she nodded. "Do away with the pleasantries, huh?"

Brom nodded. "I'm sure you in a hurry, right? So, let's get on with it."

Saphira nodded. "Right." She pulled her purse off of her shoulder and set it beside her on the couch before digging in it. Without a word, she pulled out the picture and held it out for him.

Brom glanced at the picture before leaning back in his chair and meeting her gaze. "Where'd you get this?"

Saphira tried to read a reaction in his voice but found no trace of anger or surprise. She shook her head in answer. "Answer my questions first, and then I'll answer yours."

Brom seemed to study her a moment before consenting.

"Who're the kids in the photo?" She asked, leaning back a bit. Her eyes never left his.

"A better question would be who the other kid is." Brom said quickly. "Because we both know the smaller one is Eragon."

"Then who is the other?" Saphira asked.

"The other one is Eragon's older brother."

Saphira nodded. "I had an idea that that might be the case."

"Really?"

Saphira nodded. "Tell me about them."

"Okay." Brom started. "They were brought in together. Eragon was three and his brother, Murtagh…"

"Murtagh?" Saphira gasped. "His name is Murtagh?"

Brom nodded. "Yeah. He was three years older, six at the time. Their mother died giving birth to Eragon. The father was an alcoholic and very abusive, from what we could gather. He was reported to child protection for publically beating his six year old son. His house was raided by the police and the kids placed in foster care. I believe illegal substances were found and he was sentences to 15 years in jail. The kids were sent to us when they didn't do well in foster care. We have no knowledge of what happened in the years they lived with their father, but those boys were messed up when they came to us. They wouldn't let anyone near them and were always latched onto each other. Little Eragon would scream if anyone tried to talk to him let alone touch him. It was awful to watch them."

Saphira nodded slowly, a sadness washing over her face. "So what happened? How'd they get separated?"

"Together, we thought they'd never get adopted. Never thought they'd have a chance at a good life. So we basically tore them apart." He shook his head slowly. "We really thought at the time it was the best thing. Get them independent. Adopt them out and let them heal. And at a later date, reintroduce them."

Saphira heard the pain in his voice and held up her hand. "I'm here for the truth, not to judge." She said softly. "What has passed is the past."

His expression softened a bit and he nodded. "It worked too. We sent Eragon to live with a foster family who had dealt with sensitive, troubled kids like him before. They were interested in adopting him, too, but it didn't work out. He'd be fine for a 

while, but then all of a sudden, he'd revert back to the screaming, terrified child. And at one point, he stopped talking and had nightmares where he woke up screaming for Tag."

"Murtagh?"

Brom nodded. "Murtagh, on the other hand for whatever reason, adjusted better. He was a quiet child, but he was very willing to work with me. And within a few months, he was adopted."

"By Garrow and his wife?"

Brom's eyes widened slightly and he smiled and nodded. "Yes. He was their second son."

"Roran being the first." Saphira said with a nod of her head. "I assume biological."

Brom laughed. "You do keep yourself well informed, don't you?"

Saphira smiled. "I do try."

Brom nodded again. "Well, Murtagh adjusted pretty well to his new family. I did briefly explain is situation to Dia, which was the wife. Told her that Murtagh did have a biological brother and that it was up to her and Garrow when and if they told Murtagh."

"So he knows? Garrow?"

Brom nodded his head slowly. "To an extent. I told them that Murtagh had a brother, but told them nothing about Eragon. Not his name or where he was. I said if Murtagh wanted to, at a later date get in touch with Eragon, they would have to get a hold of me and I would take care of it."

"But it didn't happen like that, did it?"

Brom shook his head and sighed softly. "I have my own thoughts on the matter, but only Garrow can answer for sure why Murtagh was never told. Or if he was, why Eragon was never pursued."

"But Eragon is staying with them now." She countered.

"Yes." He said nodding. "He is. That was my doing. See… I used to keep in contact with them, the family. I'd call in once a month and check in with the family. And I would visit every few months and talk with Murtagh. But after a few years, I realized he didn't need me anymore. So I lessened the contact. I'd only call every couple of months and eventually, I was only calling once a year. When I found out Dia had passed away, I started with this plan to get Garrow to take in Eragon when he turned 18. The family had done that before with a few kids. Eragon had just turned 16 at the time I started playing with the idea. I was so set in this idea, I really was. I thought that if I could get them together, that they would get to know each other again. And maybe it would makeup for what I did to them." He leaned forward and took a sip of his lemonade.

A silence followed but Saphira figured there was more. She didn't want to press him, for clearly the whole thing still plagued him. She allowed him a few more silent moments as she took another drink herself. At last, she leaned back in her seat, getting comfortable once again. "So, I take it Garrow took the bait."

After another silent moment, Brom nodded and cleared his throat. "I contacted him a few months after Eragon's 17th birthday, under the guise of checking in with them. He told me about Katrina and Roran and all the fun that was causing."

"She's Roran's fiancée, right?"

Brom nodded. "But Garrow and Dia had the intention of adopting her. They were going through the paperwork when Dia passed away and Garrow let it lapse. So I asked him if he intended to take in another kid anytime soon, since it had been a while with Katrina. Said he had actually considered it. But I think he was nervous that he couldn't do it without Dia. So I happened to mention this certain young boy who would be graduating high school soon and had no where else to do. I laid it on pretty thick and Garrow agreed without ever meeting him. My plan was to send him off, Eragon that is, and after a month or so, take a trip up to visit them and tell them the truth. But… my father passed away and I moved back here to make arrangements and take care of a few things." He shook his head slowly. "He was almost 90 and the doctors had been telling me for years he wouldn't live longer than a month. But it still hit me pretty hard."

Saphira felt a pang of sadness for the man who had been both a loving father and a hated enemy during her childhood years. "Is that why you retired?"

Brom laughed softly. "Is that what Angela's saying?" He shook his head. "She probably thinks it too. And hopes for it. She wants to be in charge. Thinks I tend to be hard on the kids. But hey, if I hadn't been hard, would you be the same person?" He said with a wink. "Conflict and hardship rounds a person out. Makes them stronger and makes them want to fight."

Saphira laughed. "Well that's a way to put it."

He smiled. "But no, I'm not really retired. I just need to finish the paperwork first. Then I'll sell this place and move back."

"Paperwork?" She leaned forward and tilted her head to the side. "On your father's property?"

Brom laughed again and shook his head. "Oh no. That's taken care of already. But I have to meet with my father's lawyer a few more times to get all the paperwork about the orphanage taken care of."

"Surda?" Saphira's eyes widened. "What for?"

"Because." He paused for a moment and smiled. "My mother and father started it over half a century ago."

Saphira's jaw dropped open. "You own the school?"

Brom laughed and nodded. "Technically, though until I get the papers signed, the state now owns it."

"Wow…" She breathed out.

"I was the first child they took in. And for some reason, they tell in love with the small, pink, wiggly version of my four month old self. I was adopted then and there and grew up in there."

"That would explain the folder then." Saphira let it slip out without thinking.

Brom eyed her for a second. "Since I've answered your questions, why don't you answer mine now? Where did you get that picture?"

Saphira explained briefly what she knew about how Eragon, Arya, and Murtagh had snuck into the office. "And Eragon said he found the picture in a folder with your name on it, tucked in the back."

Brom nodded. "I had forgotten about it actually. I lived there as you know. But with the kids running about, I felt I had no real privacy. And I didn't want anyone finding the picture, but I didn't want to just throw it away. It wasn't mine to do so. So I hid in the only place I figured no one would look. My own folder. We keep records pretty confidential there. So I figured I'd be the only one ever getting into it." He smiled. "Obviously Eragon didn't snoop around in my folder if that was all he found."

Saphira shrugged. "I'm not really sure. Why? Is there more?"

Brom nodded slowly. "A few other pictures, actually. A few news clippings too, about his father."

"Is he still alive?"

Brom nodded again. "Yeah. He was released last year actually. I filed a restraining order against him though. He lost all rights to either child years ago, but I was afraid he might try something."

"So that solves just about everything, doesn't it?" Saphira said after a moment.

"Yeah, unless you have any other questions for me."

She had all her questions and more answered. She could now easily piece the whole story together. And she could help put Eragon's mind at ease with the truth. Despite this, she didn't immediately get up to leave. Instead, she changed the subject to Brom's childhood, asking him about his experiences growing up in the house.

* * *

Brom glanced at the clock a while later. "Look at the time!" He rose quickly to his feet.

Saphira stole a glance at the time as well as she rose with him. It was rather late. There was no way they'd get home tonight.

"Sorry for monopolizing your time." Brom said with an apologetic tone.

Saphira smiled and shook her head. "Think nothing of it. I quite enjoyed myself. And you answered a lot of my questions and filled in the gaps."

Brom smiled and nodded. "Glad I could be of service. But won't your parents be upset at the time?"

Saphira shook her head. "My driver is waiting for me at a hotel. He had been driving most of the day and I wasn't sure how long it would take here."

"Driver?" Brom asked slowly. "That red headed fellow who dropped you off?"

Saphira nodded as she took out her phone. "Yeah. My new parents hired him for me, until I get my license." She dialed the number and put it to her ear. "Hey. Yeah. We're through here, so get your ass over here."

Brom laughed and shook his head. "You haven't changed, have you?"

Saphira shook her head. "Nope. And I hope I never do. I quite like myself."

"So your driver…" Brom said, turning the conversation back. "He was at Surda for a short time, correct?"

Saphira cocked her head to the side, watching him. "Yes, he was."

"Thorn, right?"

Saphira's eyes widened. "You really do remember every kid who's been through those doors, don't know?"

Brom smiled. "I seem to remember a certain gangly, little blond girl who used to have a crush on a little red headed boy."

Saphira laughed softly and nodded her head. "Yes, I seem to remember that as well."

"How's your famous new mother feel about her daughter dating the help?"

Saphira shrugged. "She doesn't know and we aren't dating yet. But I don't think she'd mind. She hired him, after all."

The doorbell rung then and Brom smiled. "That was fast." He threw an arm around her shoulders and swept her towards the door. "Thorn, my boy!" He said after opening the door and smiled. "Great to see you again."

Thorn looked lost for a moment before a smile swept across his face. "You too, sir."

Saphira laughed and gave Brom a quick hug. "Thanks for all the help."

"You are most welcome, my dear. And next time you guys come up, bring along Eragon and his new brother. I'd like to see them again."

* * *

Saphira took a deep, satisfying breath and leaned back against her headboard. It was the next day and the couple had just gotten back. "Well, that was a very productive trip, if I do say so myself."

"Oh yeah?" Thorn sat on the other side of the room in a swivel chair by the desk. He spun around in slow circles.

Saphira nodded. "Yeah. Hopefully, I'll get to Eragon in time. I can't wait to tell him!"

"Tell him what?" Thorn swayed slightly as he stopped spinning.

Saphira beamed. "I found his brother."

"Brother?" Thorn repeated. "Eragon has a brother?"

Saphira nodded. "Yeah. Eragon found a picture of them as kids and I spoke with Brom about it. Got the whole story."

"A picture?" Thorn got up and walked over to her bed. He peeked over her shoulders at the picture she held. "Hey! How'd you get a picture of Taggy?"

"Taggy?" She repeated.

"Yeah. Murtagh." He sat down on the edge of her bed.

Saphira's jaw dropped open. "How do you know Murtagh?"

"Went to high school with him." Thorn said with a nod of his head. "We were the only friends either of us had growing up." He said with a laugh. "Could call us losers."

"But you know Murtagh?"

Thorn nodded again. "That's what I just said."

Saphira let out a soft whistle. "Wow. Really is a small world. Did you know he was adopted?"

Thorn nodded his head. "We never really talked about it though. I think it was a sore point for him. But anyone who knows him, his parents, and his brother knows that something is slightly off." He shrugged. "But you think he and Eragon are brothers?"

Saphira shook her head. "Not think, know."

"Heh…" Thorn stretched out on the bed beside Saphira and leaned against the headboard.

Saphira smiled. "So… up for another trip?"

He smiled. "My contract says I have to be."

* * *

**Author's Notes:** So… whaddya think? Good? Bad? Horrible? XD Well… the other night I was sitting up, thinking about this book that's a favorite of mine, called _A Density of Souls_ by _Christopher Rice_. Very good book and all with an odd ending. If you've read it, you know it. If not, then you don't. But no one I've ever talked to has read it. Anyways, for some odd reason when I was working on the last chapter the other night, I decided to completely change the end I was planning on doing. So I deleted what I had written and started over. XD This means a bit longer for the ending, but oh well!


	5. Happy Unending

Sorry about the extremely long wait. Before I disappeared off the face of the planet, at least from FFN, I decided to rework this chapter and deleted what I had done. Then I disappear and come back after over a year and forget most of my plans for the ending. So this is my attempt to regain my story back. Hope no one's disappointed. If so, sorry.

* * *

**All I've Ever Wanted**

**Chapter 5: Happy Unending**

It was a large room, though smaller than the various other bedrooms in the house. The walls were painted white and the same posters that had lined the walls of the room he moved into when he had moved into it were now lining these walls. The wooden floor was a deep shade of brown, polished enough to shine. There was a large window on the wall to the right and a smaller one on the wall in the back. The wall to the left was covered with shelves and racks stacked high with CD's. A few guitars sat on stands in front of the racks. A set of drums lined the left corner and a set of keyboards were in the other.

Microphones, recording equipment, and other various pieces of machinery that he didn't recognize were strewn about. Wires were everywhere, hooking several pieces of equipment to other pieces of equipment. The room just screamed cluttered junk, but Eragon liked it as he gazed around for the first time. But perhaps the thing he liked most about the room was the dark haired man sitting in front of the wider of the windows, a black guitar in his hands, an open notebook on his lap, and a pen stuck behind his ear.

* * *

Eragon stared at him as he stood just in front of the door silently. He knew that when he couldn't find his dark haired roommate, said roommate was usually hiding in his new music room. He hadn't knocked when he came looking. Instead, he had pressed his ear to the door and heard the strumming within.

Easing the door open, he had slipped inside and shut it carefully behind him. Now he stood leaning against the closed door, his eyes on the dark man that haunted his thoughts and his ears open to the humming voice that haunted his dreams.

Murtagh was oblivious to the world with his eyes closed and head phones propped halfway over his ears. His fingers flew tirelessly over the strings, each note mixing together with the one before it. "This is all new to me."

Eragon sucked in a breath as he heard Murtagh start singing softly. The voice was soft and husky and it enchanted him.

"Help me open up my eyes to see, that when I'm with you I am free. With anyone else I long to flee. This is all so new to me…" He opened his eyes and glanced at the notebook sitting on his lap. "That sounds stupid." He reached for the pen tucked behind his ear.

"Don't."

Murtagh stopped dead in his movements as he heard the intruding voice. Slowly, he looked up, looking very much like a child caught with his hand in the cookie jar. He let the pen fall limp on the paper and slipped the headphones off.

"It didn't sound stupid." Eragon persisted when Murtagh said nothing.

"I… uh…" He smiled sheepishly. "Don't tell anyone. Not my usually style."

"It sounded nice." Eragon said softly. "Your voice… it's nice."

Murtagh smiled, his whole face brightening up. "Thank you Eragon. That means a lot."

Eragon nodded and dropped his gaze to the wooden floor. He shifted his weight and bit hit bottom lip. He hadn't thought much past the idea of coming to talk to the dark haired man. He knew what he wanted to convey, but he wasn't exactly sure how to go about it. Being around Murtagh tended to make Eragon absentminded.

"Eragon?"

At the voice, Eragon shook his head slowly and raised his gaze. "Yeah?"

Murtagh watched him for a moment before tilting his head to the side. "Uh… do you play?"

Eragon's eyes dropped to the guitar in Murtagh's hands and he shook his head. "Not really. Never had the chance to learn."

Murtagh smiled as he rose from his seat and tossed the notebook and pen aside. "I could teach you." He offered innocently

"Really?"

Murtagh nodded. "Sure." He let his black guitar dangle slightly on its strap and turned towards his other three. There one in the middle was a light blue, 5-string electric guitar with a white strap. Murtagh picked it up and crossed the small room towards Eragon. "Here."

Eragon froze as Murtagh came close enough that he could smell the coconut of the dark haired's shampoo. He sucked in a quick breath and suddenly felt more nervous than the time he had walked in on Arya getting dressed.

Laughing softly at the brunette's posture, Murtagh slipped the strap over his shoulders.

Eragon balked slightly at the weight. It wasn't exactly heavy, but it was more so than it looked.

"First lesson." Murtagh smiled as he help up his right hand with one finger extended. "Mind the strap. It holds the guitar up and keeps it from falling. Which would be a bad thing. Second, holding the guitar." He reached for Eragon's hands.

"Wait!" Eragon stepped back and collided softly with the door.

"What? Am I going too fast for you?" Murtagh smiled. "Should I slow down?" He grabbed the forgotten guitar hanging at his side and lifted it up. "This is a guitar." He said slowly, emphasizing each syllable. "And these here are the strings."

Eragon glared at him and moved to lift the guitar off.

"Stop." Murtagh laughed softly. "It was a joke Eragon. Lighten up." He moved to stop the brunette's movements. "Maybe we'll try again later, okay? And... uh… why don't you take that with you." He smiled. "The guitar." He offered, seeing the confusion. "It was my first. But I haven't played it in years. You'll need something to practice on until we can get you a new one."

Eragon felt himself smiling and quickly stopped. "Look… I came down here to discuss something with you."

Murtagh shrugged. "I'm all ears. What's on your mind?"

Eragon looked down for a moment and bit his bottom lip. "I think… that it would be best if… if I moved out."

Murtagh had once again let his guitar hang limp at his side. He now crossed his arms and tilted his head to the side. "Move out?" He repeated.

"Yeah." Eragon nodded. "To my own room."

Murtagh stared at him a moment. "But it's not finished yet." He said slowly, trying to think of Eragon's reasoning. "We just painted the walls yesterday. Weren't you and dad going furniture shopping next weekend?"

Eragon shrugged. "I've already talked to Garrow."

The dark eyes widened. "You have?"

Eragon nodded. "We will be going tomorrow instead."

"What about tonight?" Murtagh asked quickly, surprising himself with the intensity in his voice. "You're just going to sleep on the floor?"

Eragon shook his head. "Roran helped me move Katrina's old futon bed. It was rather light and easy to move."

"Katrina's old bed… but…"

"It was Garrow's idea actually." Eragon interrupted. "The one in you room is mostly wood. Would have taken nearly the whole day to take it apart, get it moved, and set it back up. The futon was in two pieces and took about fifteen minutes to move out of storage and set it up."

Murtagh was silent as he averted his gaze. His eyes glazed over the racks along the wall as his mind raced. He had gotten used to the brunette being in the way. And although he had frequently helped with the other room, he wasn't expecting the move so soon.

"Tag…" Eragon said softly, disrupting the unsettling silence that grown.

"Why the sudden rush?" Murtagh looked back at Eragon, his eyes searching for some hidden reason.

"I… I just think it's for the best."

And he found none. "What does that mean? Best for what? For who?" Murtagh's voice cracked slightly.

"Best for me." Eragon said softly. "And best for you."

"Don't give me that shit." Murtagh hissed. "What is this really about?"

"I can't wait." Eragon answered quickly. "Now that it's nearly finished, I want to stay in my own room."

"That's just it. It's not finished. You just said it!"

"It's finished enough." Eragon persisted.

Murtagh felt exasperated. He hated this game of beating around the bush. "Why now?"

"Because I have to!" Eragon snapped loudly. "Because I can't stay in your room any longer!"

Murtagh threw up his arms in frustration. "Why not? What is going on with you Eragon?"

Eragon cringed inwardly at the tone. "I just…" He stammered, feeling like he was about to break.

"And tell me the truth! I don't want any more of your fucking bullshit."

Eragon slipped the guitar over his head and thrust it at Murtagh angrily. "Because." He practically screamed. "I think I'm in love with you!"

Murtagh stood, looking dumbfounded as the blue guitar was thrust at him. He felt its weight in his hands but couldn't remember grabbing it. Eragon was clearly waiting for some sort of response, some reaction, but Murtagh's mind was a blank. He watched as the brunette lowered his head and slipped out of the room.

Say something, Murtagh's mind screamed at him. Move! Stop him! But he didn't move until Eragon was long gone. He turned stiffly and set both guitars back on their racks. He picked up his discarded notebook and pen and dropped them on the desk. Of all the things that could have happened today, his newly adopted brother professing his love for him was not on his list.

* * *

Eragon paused outside the door and pressed his ear to it. He sighed as he heard nothing. Clearly Murtagh wasn't coming after him. With a sigh, he pushed off the door and quickly made his way to Murtagh's room. A few minutes later, a mound of stuff—clothes, books, and everything else that was bought for him—lay in a pile on his bed. Murtagh could have his room back. Garrow could have his office back. And Eragon could have his own room, far enough from everyone else that no one would hear him if he felt like crying.

"Need help?"

Eragon spun around and forced a smile at Roran. It took him a moment to understand what Roran had meant. "Sure. I didn't really plan right. I don't have any boxes or anything." He said awkwardly. He really didn't plan it. He just woke up that morning and decided he was done with being in that room.

Roran smiled and Katrina appeared beside him, packing boxes in her arms. She beamed. "When dad told me you wanted to move into your room early, I thought that maybe you might need these. Unless you planned to leave your stuff in here until you guys get furniture."

Eragon shook his head quickly. "No. I'd rather get it all out of here. I can live out of boxes for a while."

Katrina smiled and crossed the room. She dropped the pile of collapsed boxes and began folding one. "Great! Dad was actually quite excited about it. The man loves to shop. I think that that was one thing he missed when mom passed away. He's been much happier since your name popped into his head." She laughed. "If it was up to him, you would have come sooner."

Eragon smiled as thoughts of Murtagh were replaced by Garrow.

"Kat… you really have to stop calling him dad." Roran said as he sat beside her to help with the boxes.

She looked up at him, cocking her head to the side. "Why?"

"Because he's my dad. And we're getting married."

"But he's my dad too!" Katrina snapped.

"Kat!"

"And he's not going to stop being my dad if I decide to say I do." She said matter-of-factly with a nod.

Roran dropped the box he was working on. "If? What does that mean?"

Katrina handed her box to Eragon and began on another one. "Well, Roran my love, if you insist that Garrow is not my father, and that you three boys are not my brothers, than you are making me lose another family. Frankly, if I have to lose my family to gain a husband, I'd choose the family. I want both, or nothing Roran."

"But Kat… it's not that simple…" He pleaded.

"Oh yes it is. I'm your sister."

"But I want you to be my wife."

"I can be both." She said stubbornly.

"But…" Roran was losing his argument. He looked over at Eragon for help. "Dude… help me out here. She's crazy, right?"

Eragon laughed as he tossed things into boxes. "Don't look at me. I'm on her side."

"I am too."

All three looked up to Garrow as he framed the doorway.

Roran threw up his arms. "Fine. My father will be walking my sister down the aisle where I'll be waiting to marry her."

Garrow rolled his eyes. "Don't be so dramatic."

"Dramatic? Dad! We'll have to spend the rest of our lives explaining why I married my sister."

"How hard is it to say adopted, Roran?"

Eragon was laughing by then and Katrina hopped on the bed beside him, in a fit of giggles herself. "Oh Eragon! You have to come shopping with me today!"

"Shopping?

She nodded. "Roran was supposed to come with me but he got called in to work today." She said pouting.

Eragon shot a glance at Roran who smiled and shook his head behind her back. He took that as a sign that he should say no. But he couldn't help but agree when she looked at him.

"Oh fantastic! Let's hurry up here and we'll get going."

"Uh… where?"

She grabbed one of the filled boxes and dashed out the room with a smile.

Roran was grinning ear-to-ear.

"That bad, huh?" Eragon was regretting agreeing.

He nodded.

* * *

"What do you think about these ones, Eragon?"

Eragon looked down as Katrina came out. The shoes she had on looked identical to the other twenty pairs she had tried on in the last hour. He honestly couldn't tell the difference. He had never paid much attention to shoes. And he certainly wasn't clued in girl shoes. He shrugged.

"Well… you're no help!" She stuck out her tonge.

"Katrina… isn't your dress floor length?"

She nodded.

"Then what do the shoes matter? No one will see them."

She spun around and laughed. "That's exactly what Roran said when I asked him to come with me." She looked down at the strappy, white heels she was wearing and nodded. "I think these are perfect. Now… for the veil!" She clapped her hands together.

"Veil?" He repeated. "But veils are so… old. How about a nice, simple tiara?" Where did that come from? Oh yeah, Arya had said that once. He regretted repeating it the moment he said it.

"A tiara?" She squealed.

"Wait… I take it back…" Oh great. He'd have to thank Arya for that piece of information.

"Oh that's just a splendid idea Eragon. Let's go tiara shopping!"

Eragon groaned but let her drag him off to another store.

* * *

Murtagh looked around his dark room. It felt empty now, without the color Eragon brought to it. Was it really just over a month since he came to live there? Why did it seem like so much longer? What was it about him that made Murtagh feel so empty now? He sighed deeply as he crossed the room and lay on his bed.

"Hey Tag."

He looked over as Garrow walked in.

"You must be happy to have your room back."

Murtagh sat up and shrugged slightly. "I don't know. It was nice to have a roommate. I don't remember ever having one. But having Eragon here… feels weirdly right." He sighed and shook his head. "I think that… maybe at one point… I shared a room with someone important to me." He looked up as Garrow sat down next to him. "Sound weird?"

Garrow wrapped his arm around his son's shoulders. "I don't think so, son. You had a short life before us."

Murtagh dropped his gaze. "But I don't remember anything before Surda. And even the memories of those few days are hazy. I should remember something. I was six." He paused. "I just don't want to be alone again…" It scared him a bit how fast these feelings came. He spent years pushing them away and the thought of getting his room back to himself sent him spiraling back.

Garrow gave him a squeeze and smiled. "You aren't, Tag. You, Kat, and now Eragon… you guys are as much my family as Roran."

"Ah dad…" Murtagh shook his head and pushed the older man away.

"Oh come on and give your dad a kiss."

Murtagh laughed as kissing noises were made.

* * *

"I love the smell of coffee!"

Eragon looked up from his hot chocolate and stuck his tongue out. "I don't."

Katrina rolled her eyes. "You should have said something before! We didn't have to come to a coffee shop."

Eragon shrugged. "I don't mind. Besides… shopping isn't my thing either. Or the hair and nail salon."

She burst out laughing. "I still think you should have let them do your nails."

"Oh no!" He smiled. "The hair was traumatizing enough."

"Oh come on! You look great!"

Eragon stuck out his tongue. He wouldn't admit it, but he did have fun. He could have done without the shopping, but the salon was fun and he enjoyed getting a real hair cut. So much different than Brom cutting his hair.

"You didn't have to come with me." Katrina said softly in a serious tone.

"Oh yes I did." He said, smiling. "You're my sister, right?"

She nodded.

"I've never had one before. Even with Saph… we were never able to really hang out."

"Boys and girls not allowed, huh?"

He shook his head. "Ridiculous. But then again… this may be more Arya's scene than Saph's." He shrugged. It was very easy to talk to her. Both had various things in common. He told her all about Surda, Saph, and Arya. He told her about Brom and the other counselors. About going back with Murtagh last week and sneaking in the office to get Saph's address. He sighed and leaned back. "I never expected any of this Katrina. I've been dreading it since Brom told me about it a year ago."

She smiled and nodded. "First, call me Kat. Second, I felt the same way. I never meant to fall in love with them." She sighed softly and leaned back, remembering. "And third, stop thinking about it. Forget all those feelings. Not your past, exactly. But forget all those feelings of loneliness and despair. Remember how many people you have that love you. Us, of course. And your friends from Surda. You aren't alone. And you'll be okay."

"Thanks Kat. I'm glad you asked me out today."

* * *

He stood in the doorway looking around the room he'd help paint the other day. He smiled, remembering when Eragon dripped paint on him. They ended up in the middle of the floor, covered in paint and struggling to catch their breaths. But he had wrestled many times with Roran growing up. There was nothing different when he did it with Eragon, was there?

The times when he couldn't sleep and he'd lie on his bed, listening to the sounds of the other boy's sleeping or those confusing dreams he'd been having the past week. Or how they had no classes together but he'd wait for Eragon between classes. Except for when he was in his music room, he was always with Eragon. He was always instigating pillow fights and wrestling matches, anything for close contact.

Maybe he did give Eragon the wrong impression. Maybe he did lead him on. Or maybe not. Maybe there was something there. And maybe he didn't mind so much.

* * *

"So Eragon…" Katrina leaned across the table. "Why are you really moving into the new room?"

He dropped his gaze and shrugged. "Because."

"Why? " She persisted. "It's not done. The closet is half destroyed. The lights have to be installed. And the door isn't even up."

He leaned back and waved her comments off. "It's done enough. Everything else can be finished in a couple days. A week tops."

"But you have no furniture yet. You'll be living out of boxes."

"We're going out tomorrow. So it's just until the delivery truck drops off whatever we get. Two days at most."

Katrina leaned back and crossed her arms. "Oh please, Eragon." She shook her head. "I know something else is going on. One way or another, I will find out. So you might as well tell me now."

He said nothing.

"Fine. I'll just talk to Murtagh when we get home."

His eyes widened. He wasn't sure what Murtagh would say if questioned. Would he tell her the truth? Would he lie?

"I knew it! Something did happen, right?" She leaned forward again. "Did you two get in a fight or something?"

"Something like that…" Eragon muttered under his breath.

"Come on, Eragon! Just tell me! I'm your sister, after all."

He nodded slowly and sighed. He gave in. "Alright. I… came to the conclusion…" He said slowly. "I can't stay in that room… because…"

"Because…" She prompted when he stopped.

"I'm in love with him."

Her jaw dropped. "Oh I knew it!" She squealed.

"You did?"

"Oh fantastic! Did you tell him?"

"Yeah… but…" He started but she kept going, not missing a beat.

"Oh you two make such a cute couple! And poor dad! It'll be hilarious. All his kids hooking up!" She threw her head back and laughed loudly, getting a few looks from the surrounding tables. "I can't wait to tell Roran that I was right!"

"No!" He leaned forward and grabbed her arm, trying to get her full attention. "You can't say anything!"

"Why not?"

"Because… he hates me now…" Eragon said sadly.

"What?"

"I ruined it. I ruined everything. The way he looked at me… I didn't mean for it to happen. I don't know why or how it did. I just know I'm in love with him. And now I've lost him."

"Eragon…"

"No." He said, standing out. "I don't want to talk about it anymore. I just want to go home."

* * *

Eragon helped Kat with the few bags she had. The drive home had been silent. Eragon didn't feel like talking anymore. He was tired and he just wanted to go to sleep and pretend like today didn't happen.

"Thank you." She said, once they were inside. She took the bags from him and shifted her weight from foot to foot. "Thank you for coming with me… and I hope you come out with me again… and… I'm sorry." She said softly.

"It's fine." He smiled. "And I had a nice time too."

She smiled and excused herself upstairs.

Eragon lingered in the living room, his head still spinning a bit. What happened that morning seemed so far away. But he had time to think about it on the long, quiet ride home. Maybe it would all be okay. Surely he should keep his distance from Murtagh for a while. He only hoped that one day they could be friends again, maybe even brothers. "It's weird what a difference a day makes…"

"Eragon? That you?"

"Yeah Garrow. Just got back." He followed the voice into the kitchen and found his adopted dad sitting at the counter, a cup of coffee in his hands.

"Hey Eragon. How was your day out with Kat?"

"Fine. Had a lot of fun. She sure is something."

He laughed. "That she is. She talk you into the cut?"

Eragon ran a hand through his shorter hair. "Yeah. She tried to get my nails too." He smiled as he watched Garrow throw back his head and let out a hearty laugh. It was nice. He was suddenly reminded of the way Brom used to be, years ago. He suddenly missed the old man.

"Oh! I almost forgot. Your friend called earlier."

Eragon shook Brom from his head. "Friend?"

Garrow nodded and pointed towards the phone on the counter. A pad of paper lay beside it with a scribbled number. "Saphira… did I say that right?"

"Uh huh." Eragon nodded, running his fingers over the numbers on the paper.

"I told her you'd probably be out most of the day. She left her number and said for you to call her, no matter how late. She sounded a bit… stressed."

Eragon picked up the phone off the charger. "You don't mind if I take this upstairs…"

"Of course not. We'll have to get a line in your room at some point. Or a cell phone for that matter." He smiled. "Go, check on your friend."

Eragon nodded and was half way up the stairs when he pressed the phone to his ear.

"Saphira Drake here." Came a voice he longed to hear for weeks over the line.

"Hey Saph."

"ERAGON!"

He lifted the phone from his ear as she squealed.

"I'd given up hope that I'd hear from you. Your adopted father, right?"

"Garrow." He supplied.

"That's it! Garrow! He said you were out shopping? With a girl?"

He laughed. "Yeah, my sister Kat."

"Sister?"

"Yeah. She throws a fit anytime someone says she's not the sister."

Saphira laughed softly. "What did you guys do?"

Eragon laid down on his temporary bed and stretched out. "Wedding stuff mostly. She tried on a million pairs of shoes. And tiaras. And hair styles. Then we went to a coffee shop and talked for a while. She's really great. I think you'd like her."

There was a long pause.

"Saph… you still there?"

"Yeah… look Eragon. I got something important to tell you. But not over the phone. Will you be home tomorrow?"

"Going furniture shopping with Garrow, but give me a time and I can be."

"Furniture?"

"Oh yeah. My room's nearly complete so I moved out of Murtagh's room."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. We sort of had a falling out."

"What happened?" She asked real slowly.

He heard a weird tone in her voice but dismissed it. "Nothing really. I just decided I didn't like what being around him was doing to me. So I've put space between us while I try and get a handle on things."

"Good."

"Good?"

"Yeah… good."

He caught the weird tone in her voice again. When she said nothing more, he sighed and sat up. It was nice to hear her voice again, but he was tired of talking in circles and just wanted to sleep. "Look Saph… I don't want to sound… whatever but I've had a long day and while I'd love to stay up all night and talk like we used to, I'm exhausted. I just want to go to sleep."

"Oh… sure Ere."

He caught the sad tone in her voice that time. "It would be great to see you tomorrow. I'll see about postponing the shopping trip."

"Okay."

"I can call you tomorrow with directions."

"Oh no. I've got my personal driver. And that's a story you need to hear. Tomorrow then, my knight."

He sat up and noticed for the first time the blue guitar he held briefly this morning sitting, propped again the wall in the corner. "Bye." He said quickly, ignoring his usual goodbye. He looked down at the phone and figured a trip to the kitchen was needed to return it to its charger. And maybe he could pass by Murtagh's room.

* * *

Murtagh wasn't asleep when another knock came to his door. Katrina had come knocking around twenty minutes before, but she left quickly after getting no answer. He sighed but made no more to answer this knock either.

"Murtagh…"

Eragon's voice reached his ears but he still made no move.

"I know you're not asleep."

Still the dark haired boy didn't move.

"Look…" Eragon walked further in the room and lowered his voice. "I want to apologize. I don't know how it happened but it'll go away. And I hope until then you won't hate me." He paused but continued when he got no answer. "This isn't easy for me, Murtagh. I didn't even mean to tell you. I was just going to hide out in the new room until the feelings went away." Nothing. "Fine. I get it. You hate me. You're glad to have me out of here. Probably never liked me in the first place and was just playing nice to please your dad." He couldn't help the sour tone leaking into his voice. "If you want me to leave… to move out…"

After a few more silent moments, he sighed and turned to leave. Clearly trying to talk to Murtagh wasn't helping. It just made him feel foolish. "I am not leaving." He said to himself as he made his way down the hall.

* * *

He didn't like this, this uncertainty. Why did Eragon have to say anything? Murtagh was perfectly fine going on with his life not knowing he shared these feelings for his newly adopted brother. Because the more and more he thought about it, the more he was certain.

It was one thing to flirt with a guy in an attempt to trick him, though he only did that for Eragon. It was a completely different thing to date a guy. Him. Murtagh. The guy who could always get any girl in school he wanted. And the person he wanted most in the world had been sleeping a few feet from him.

With a groan, he peeled off his blanket and rolled out of his bed. Every time he closed his eyes, Eragon haunted his dreams. So clearly he wasn't going to sleep tonight.

He hadn't realized he left his room until he found himself in the doorway of Eragon's. He even forgot to put a shirt on. "Why?" He questioned in a hushed tone. "Why did you have to tell me?"

Eragon was sitting on the edge of his temporary bed, contemplating sleep. But the sight of his adopted brother wearing only the black, cotton, oversized pants he frequently slept in drove all thoughts of sleep from his mind. Eragon already knew he had a perverted mind. This wasn't helping.

"I could have gone on like nothing was different and would have been perfectly fine."

Eragon shook certain thoughts from his head as he tried to understand what Murtagh had said. "Go back to your room Murtagh. I don't want to talk anymore." He rose from the bed when Murtagh didn't move. "This is my room now. You can't come over here and give me the silent treatment in my own room." His voice rose and he was practically shouting, unable to stop himself.

Murtagh shot a look down the hallway. When he was certain no one was up, he entered and stepped closer to Eragon. "Keep your voice down." He snapped in a low tone.

"Oh no!" Eragon shouted. "My room! I'll do what I please! Now GET OUT!" He shoved the taller boy. "OUT!"

"Okay I'm sorry. But just give me a minute."

Eragon glared at him and opened his mouth to protest.

"Just shut up a second. This isn't easy for me either."

"What?"

"You!" Murtagh pushed him. "You drive me crazy! Sometimes I just want to… uh!" He growled in frustration.

"What, Murtagh? What do you…" He was silenced by the look on Murtagh's face. It was the first time he's seen him so nervous and lost, like a child. He was always so cocky and sure of himself. "It's okay…" Eragon whispered, all anger gone from his voice. He took a hesitant step towards Murtagh. Then another when he didn't move away. Mere inches apart with his heart fluttering, Eragon took a shaky breath. "It's okay…" He whispered again.

Murtagh dipped his head forward just enough to touch his forehead to Eragon's. Then he laced his hands together behind the other's back and pulled their bodies closer. Just like that, all the worry he felt moments ago was gone. "I know." He whispered softly, his eyes closed. "The moment you walked into my room you turned my world upside down. It just took until today to me to realize… I don't think I can live without you."

Eragon pulled away as far as the grip on his waist would allow. He searched the face that lifted to meet his gaze. "Do you mean that?"

In answer, Murtagh dipped his head forward, touching his lips to Eragon's.

* * *

"Oh god, Kat. Gross."

He was barely aware of the voice and the giggling that followed. He wasn't exactly sure where he was. But he was aware of the body tangled with his.

"Eragon!"

Murtagh heard Kat's voice ring clear in his head. He remembered where he was. And who he was tangled with. He and Eragon, half naked in Eragon's doorless room. Obviously Kat and Roran had found them. "Go away." He groaned.

"Hmmm…" Eragon muttered against Murtagh's chest, still very much asleep.

"Tag… dad's probably on his way up. He's looking for Eragon."

That made him snap awake. "Shit." He threw the blanket off and jumped out of the bed.

The jostling startled Eragon awake. "What…" His groggy eyes looked at Murtagh with confusion.

"Dad's coming." Kat answered.

Eragon looked over at her and Roran, a blush creeping across his face.

Roran made a face and ducked into the hallway.

"Oh stop it!" Kat called after him, following. "They're wearing clothes."

"Barely."

She peaked her head back in for a moment. "I'll try and stall dad."

Eragon was out of bed a second later, pulling the pants and shirt he wore yesterday on.

Murtagh grabbed him and spun him around. The kiss that followed left both breathless. "Later." He said in a husky voice and dashed out.

Eragon stood there for a moment, panting and dizzy, until he heard Gallow calling his name. Why did Murtagh have to kiss him like that when Garrow was looking for him? How was he going to think straight?

"Eragon, my boy! You're up."

"Uh… yeah…" Eragon sat down as Garrow came in. "Just… uh… now… must have fallen asleep in my clothes."

"Whatever." Garrow smiled. "Now, are we going shopping today or tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow?"

"Yeah. I thought maybe tomorrow would be better."

"Why?"

"I figured maybe you and your little friend might have some plans."

"My what?"

"Boy… are you okay?" Garrow looked at him with concern for a moment. "Saphira."

"Oh… oh yeah!" Eragon laughed. Now he remembered. He had talked to Saphira last night. And she was coming over today. "I nearly forgot… but how did you…"

"She might have called a half hour ago." Garrow smiled. "Said she'd be here around noon. I put two and two together."

"Oh… is that alright?"

"Of course. Good, anyways, because I need to head to the office for a few hours."

Eragon followed him out. "Problem?"

Garrow shrugged. "Nothing too serious. New guys make mistakes all the time." Garrow continued on with chatter about his company until Eragon excused himself to the kitchen.

He turned for the phone and got no answer when he punched in Saphira's number. "Damnit…" He hated leaving messages. He ducked into the pantry and spoke in a hushed tone. "Hey Saph. You'll never guess what happened after I got off the phone with you. I still can't believe it! Oh my god!"

"Eragon? You in here?"

"I have to go. You'll be here soon. Bye." He quickly hung up the phone and opened the pantry door. "Just making a phone call…"

Kat was grinning ear to ear. "Roran just decided he wants to go cake tasting. Right now." She rolled her eyes and shook her head. "But anyways… that means you'll have the house to yourselves for a while."

"Kat!" He fought back a blush as he returned the phone to its charger.

Kat followed behind him, giggling. She jabbed him in the ribs. "Come on, Eragon. Gotta get popped sooner or later."

"KAT! That's enough!"

"I second that." Roran said from the front door.

"Roran!" She slapped his arm.

"Ouch!" He rubbed at the red mark forming on his arm. "Okay… whatever. If you guys are happy, it's good enough for me. But… I don't want details." He said quickly. "From anyone." He shot a look at Kat before dragging her out the door."

"What have I gotten myself into?" Eragon groaned, heading for the stairs. He headed to the upstairs bathroom closest to his room. It was nearly eleven and Saph would be here at twelve. And knowing her, she'd be here exactly then. Which meant he should get ready. There was so much he wanted to talk to her about.

He was lost in thoughts of Saph when a pair of arms wrapped around him. The hot breath on his neck brought a moan to his lips. "Tag…" He whined.

"How'd you know it was me?"

Eragon laughed as he pulled away to turn on the shower. "Saph will be here in an hour."

"So?" Murtagh pulled Eragon's shirt off.

"So I have to take a shower and get dressed."

There was a pause before Murtagh responded. "Need help?"

Eragon didn't anticipate the shower lasting that long. He had less than a half hour until Saph came. And Murtag wasn't making it any easier for him. "Tag… go get dressed. In your own room." Eragon pushed him out the door. "She'll be here anytime and she doesn't need to see this." Once the distraction was gone, Eragon dug around for something to wear. He had to admit that Kat and Murtagh were right. Living out of boxes sucked. The thought of moving back into Murtagh's room came to mind, but he now thought that would be a bad idea. His black haired adopted brother was enough of a distraction before. Eragon couldn't imagine what would happen now that Murtagh knew and returned his feelings.

He was dressed and running a hand through his hair when he heard the front door slam shut. It was obvious to Eragon who it was. The house was huge. You'd have to be making a whole lot of noise on purpose for the sounds to carry.

"You could have told me that bakery was closed today." Came Roran's loud voice.

And Eragon had been right.

"You were too busy fleeing." And Kat was playing along.

"He's being overly loud." Murtagh said from the doorway with a laugh. "Making sure we know they're back."

Eragon groaned as he started shoving things in the unfinished closet. Unlike the door to the room, at least the closet had a door. It may not have four walls, a ceiling, and a floor yet, but it had a door.

"Don't bother." Murtagh crossed the room and sat down on the messy bed. "Still looks like shit in here."

"Oh haha. You could help me."

Murtagh rolled his eyes but he rose and started fixing the bed. Ten minutes later and all the boxes were hidden behind the closed closet door and the bed folded into a couch. "Now it looks like shit and it's empty."

"Oh shut up."

"We should have moved the old desk and dresser you were using over. I don't want them in my room without you."

Eragon turned to look at Murtagh and then smiled. He felt right. He felt happy. He finally felt like he belonged somewhere.

"What?" Murtagh caught him staring.

"Nothing. I was just thinking…"

"About what?"

"You."

Murtagh had his arms around Eragon's waist in a moment. "I'm having trouble controlling myself around you."

"If Saph wasn't going to be here any second… I'd tell you to throw your control out the window."

"Will that still apply when she leaves?"

Eragon grabbed Tag's face and pulled him in for a hungry kiss. When it was returned with as much intensity, something in Eragon's brain clicked. Saph. Saphira's coming. Saphira's on her way now. Saphira will be here any moment. Thoughts of Saphira kept running through his mind like a mantra. Saph, Saph, Saph. "Tag!" He tore himself away, dizzy and out of breath again. "Saph is coming."

Murtagh growled. Why was this so hard? What had happened to him overnight that turned him into a sex-crazed horndog? "Okay, okay." He held up his arms. "Five foot rule?" He took a few steps back and moved to lean against the wall.

Eragon nodded and took a deep breath.

"Did I tell you I like your hair?" Murtagh asked, trying to change the subject to something safer.

Eragon ran a hand through his shorter hair and smiled. It wasn't that much of a difference, just a few inches. But it had been a long time since it was last cut. It was getting too shaggy for his liking when he left Surda. "Kat convinced me. More like pushed me into the chair and told me not to move." He took a step towards Murtagh.

"Well… I like it."

"Uh huh…" Eragon took another step.

"It… uh… suits your face."

Another step.

"That's not five feet." Murtagh stated when Eragon was just a few inches away.

"Your rule, not mine."

"Eragon…" Murtagh started softly, his tone and face growing serious. "Even though this feels like a long time coming… you tell me if I'm moving too fast for you."

Eragon considered for a moment as he searched Murtagh's eyes for any hidden meaning. He found none and he knew his answer. "Tag… I think I've been in love with you since the first moment I saw you. Nothing is too fast."

And suddenly Eragon found himself struggling to breathe again and somehow ended up pinned against the wall. What a difference a day can make.

* * *

"Damnit!" Saphira threw her new cell phone at the floor of the car. She heard it crack as it hit. That was the tenth time in a row that she'd gotten no answer from Eragon's home. "Still not getting an answer."

"Easy there, Saph." Thorn reached over and laid a hand on her knee with his free hand. The other was on the steering wheel. "We'll be there in a minute."

"I knew I should have told him on the phone."

"Saph… it'll be fine."

"No it won't!" She snapped. "I played you the message he left. Something happened."

"Well… if what you think happened happened… it's not so bad."

She shot him an incredulous look.

"What I mean is… neither of them even knew they had a brother. Why can't they just go on not knowing?"

"But… I know. And you know!"

"So what? You can't help who you fall in love with, Saph. It takes a hold of you, Saph. And if that love is returned… who are you to tell them they are wrong?"

"His friend." She said softly.

"Exactly. You're his friend. Don't make him loose something that makes him happy." He gave her knee a squeeze before moving his hand back to the steering wheel. "Just don't worry about it, Saph."

She sighed and leaned back in her seat. She just couldn't see it Thorn's way. Eragon deserved to know, didn't he?

* * *

"Hey Eragon!"

Kat's voice rang out loudly through the hall and into the bedroom where two boys where once again locked together. "Shit." They said in unison and pulled apart moments before Kat appeared in the doorway.

She stifled a giggle as both boys attempted to straighten their clothes and hair. "Hope I am interrupting something."

Murtagh laughed and Eragon shot her a glare.

"Eragon, you have visitors."

"I do?"

"Saphira." Murtagh whispered.

"Oh! Yes! Saphira."

Kat stepped aside as Saphira and Thorn came into view.

"Saph!" Eragon ran forward and scooped her smaller frame up into a big hug. "Oh it feels like forever since I've seen you."

She laughed as he released her. "It hasn't been that long." She looked over his shoulder at the dark man she knew must be Murtagh.

If Murtagh noticed the glare on her face, he ignored it and crossed the room towards Thorn. "Dude, Thorn. Why didn't you tell me you were in town?"

Thorn laughed. "Was a last minute decision." He inclined his head towards Saphira. "Boss lady here decided last night."

"So this is your driver?" Eragon laughed. "Oh that's great. Good to see you again, Thorn."

"You guys know each other?"

Thorn nodded. "My brief stay at Surda."

"Oh right." Murtagh shook his head. "Just seems this world is getting smaller and smaller."

"You have no idea." Saphira muttered under her breath.

Eragon tilted his head and looked at her. "What'd you say?"

Saphira glanced around the room at all three boys, then back at Eragon. "So this is your new room? Kind of empty, isn't it?" She asked, changing the topic quickly.

He shrugged. "Work in progress."

"Well… I'm famished." Murtagh announced with a smile. "Have you guys eaten yet?"

Thorn shook his head.

"Then let's head downstairs and see what we can find in the kitchen."

"You guys go ahead." Saphira said. "I want to talk to Eragon for a minute."

"Saphira…" There was a warning tone to Thorn's voice.

She smiled sweetly at Thorn and pushed him out the door. "Just a minute, I promise."

"Fine. Kitchen still in the same place?" Thorn asked as he led the way.

Saphira waited until their voices faded off before she turned towards Eragon.

"So you already…" Saphira mumbled, shaking her head slowly. "I'm too late."

"Too late?" Eragon laughed. "What… did you want a front row seat? We mostly talked. A base or two may have been passed, but no home runs."

Saphira frowned slightly and wrinkled her nose. "Don't give me details. Just basics."

Eragon nodded and led her over to the folded futon. He started with his love confession the morning before. Then he gave her the details of his day out with Kat and their various conversations. And about coming home and the conversations that followed with Murtagh.

Saphira sighed as she shook her head. "I wish you had waited until after I got a chance to talk to you."

"Waited?"

"I just don't think it's a good idea." She said quickly, interrupting him.

"What? Why?"

"Because… you haven't known him long."

"I could same the same with you and Thorn." He countered.

"I've known Thorn for years."

Eragon rolled his eyes. "He was at Surda for like a second. How long has it been since you last saw him? And how long since he became your driver?"

She lowered her gaze to the floor and bit her lip. "Point taken. But I still don't think it's a good idea, Ere."

"Why? Give me a good reason. Is it because he's a guy?"

She raised her head and shook it quickly. "Oh no. I always kind of suspected. I just don't want to see you get hurt."

"Hurt? You just assume he's going to hurt me?"

"Well… yes. He's not to right person for you."

"And what qualifies you to say that? You don't know him. I love him!" He shouted.

"You…"

"Yes Saph." He snapped. "I love him."

"And does he…"

"I… I don't know for certainly. But I'm pretty confident."

Saphira bit her lip.

"You don't have to worry, Saph. For the first time in my life… I'm truly happy. I can't guarantee that it'll be perfect forever, but no one can. All I know is…" He paused and looked around the room. "All I've ever wanted was a family, Saph. A real family, with parents and brothers and sisters. I have you and Kat. And Roran and Garrow… and everyone back at Surda. What more could I want?"

"Me?"

Saphira was the first to see Murtagh and Thorn in the doorway. She sidestepped back towards Thorn and brushed up against him.

Eragon wrapped his arms around Murtagh's neck when he came closer. "You are all I've ever wanted."

Murtagh smiled.

Thorn cleared his throat when it was apparent that he and Saphira were forgotten. "We heard yelling."

"Oh just a little brother-sister spat." Eragon said, releasing his hold on Murtagh and turning to smile at Saphira. "Right? All okay?"

Saphira exchanged a look with Thorn and nodded. "Yeah. Sorry."

"Ah. It's fine." Eragon waved her off and moved towards the door. "Now… out of my room. No place to sit anyways."

Saphira put on a smile as she followed behind. Thorn was right. You couldn't help who you fall in love with. And she could never tell Eragon the truth.


End file.
